Proxima: Rhapsodies
by SerafinaDraco
Summary: A few years after the Chitauri invasion, Angie begins her journey to find the truth in her past.
1. PROLOGUE

XAVIER MANSION

As I drove into the garage, I was greeted by a familiar face. "Hey, Logan. How's it goin'?"

"What do you think? You didn't give me an explanation when I last called you."

I sighed. "Let's just get inside. I think this is something all of y'all want to hear."

~:~

"So, they shut down the Tesseract and captured Loki, sending him on his way to sweet Asgardian justice. Plus, I planted a nice punch across that smug face of his."

"That's my girl," Logan chuckled.

"What's the plan now?" A voice asked. Warren.

"Not sure. I'll deal with it along the way." I turned to Hank and the Professor. " Oh, and thanks for the help with the cube. "

"All I did was tell you the machines were going off." Hank replied.

"Y'all did more than that, Hank. You helped me get my brother back. I can't thank you enough for that."

" How is he, my dear? " the professor asked.

"Better than he could be, but he's getting there."

Suddenly the alarms went off. Logan turned and grinned at me. "Wanna join us? It'll be like old times."

"Nah, I've had enough excitement this week." I hugged him. "Have fun. Stay safe. Punch ole Sabretooth for me."

He saluted me, running after the others towards the Blackbird.

I watched as they flew off. I heard steps behind me and thoughts even louder. "What do you want, Warren?"

"Can't I just say hi for once?"

I turned around and have him a pointed look. "No, you can't . Because every time you come around, you always want to talk. Well, you had your chance. You blew it."

" Don't you think I know that, Ange! I regret what I did. I know you were trying to help. "

"Then, why did you push me away?"

He opened his mouth and closed it shut, and finally spoke. "I didn't want to hurt you more than I already did. "

"Did you ever stop to think that pushing me away hurt more than the scars?"

He stood there speechless.

"That's what I thought." I turned and started to walk away. "I'm leaving tonight. Tell the others I'll call them when I get settled." He nodded and I walked off leaving the winged mutant behind me.

~:~

UNSPECIFIED LOCATION 

"Okay, Clint. Where are you taking me?"

"You'll have to wait and see." He smiled as he drove through the hills.

A couple hours later, we drove up to a farmhouse.

"Dude, it's a farm. What's so top secret about it? " the door creaked open and revealed a woman and two kids.

"Them." He led me towards them. " Angie, meet Laura. My wife. "

She held out her hand to me. "I've heard a lot about you. Pleasure to finally meet you."

I shook her hand. "Me too. Who are these little guys?" I moved down to the kids' level. "My name's Angie, what's yours? " The boy hid behind his mother's leg, while the little girl ran up and hugged me.

"I Li'a" the girl lisped.

Laura laughed. "This is Cooper. Sorry he's a little shy. But I'm sure he'll warm up to you. He did to Tasha."

"Tasha? Or course she knows."

Clint picked up Lila and threw her in the air. "Come on, sis. Let's show you around."

~:~

STARK/AVENGERS TOWER- AFTER IM3

"Do you have to go?"

" I'm sorry, Pepper. I'm done with all this. " I replied gesturing to the air around me. "I can't stay here and watch him hurt himself anymore. "

"You're just giving up!"

" No, I...Maybe I am. But that doesn't change anything. " I pointed towards the window. "That portal did something to him. It messed with his head. He destroyed the suits. But he's going to..."

"Going to what? " She asked. I shook my head. "What did you see?"

"He's going to do something that will bite him back."

"That's why he needs you. "

"No, Pep. He needs to learn this himself. I can't teach him everything anymore."

She nodded and gave me a hug. "Stay safe."

I hugged her back. "I will. Don't worry, Steve will be there in a few months. He's transferring to D.C. soon. "

"I guess that does make me feel better. Do I need to read you the rules?"

"No drugs, no boys, and basically don't do anything Tony would do." I smirked.

"That's my girl. "

~:~


	2. Chapter 1

_**WARNING: PLEASE READ PROXIMA:BEGINNINGS BEFORE YOU READ RHAPSODIES.**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything from Marvel, only my OC Angie.**_

 _ **(EDIT: SORRY FOR THE CHAPTER MESS-UP!)**_

 _ **~:~**_

The daylight slowly broke across the sky, as I jogged down the path around the Reflecting Pool. All was silent except for crickets air was cool against my skin and my feet thudded against the ground. I came upon a man and shouted, "On your left," as I passed him. Soon after, I heard footfall approaching and heard the same as the man passed me. This went on for an hour until daylight had finally arrived and I sat down on a bench to catch my breath.

The man came up to me, "Man, you're fast."

I looked up to glare at him. "For a girl?"

"No, just surprised you could catch up." He chuckled. "Never seen you here before. New around here?"

I shook my head. "I've visited before, but I just moved here."

He laughed. "Either way, welcome to D.C."

"Thanks. Oh, I'm Angie Jarvis." I held out my hand.

He shook it. "Sam Wilson."

~:~

Over the following weeks, we kept running into each other and became fast friends.

"Okay, Sam. Let's make a deal," I said stretching my arms. "Loser buys coffee."

He shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Sweet."I crouched down. "Alright, on your mark, get set….GO!" and I took off.

"Cheater!" Sam yelled from behind me catching up.

I heard his feet approaching and I sped up. "Whatever, Wilson. Meet you at the tree!"

Halfway through the race he caught up and passed me. I pushed myself harder until I caught up, keeping up with him until I passed. As I approached the tree, awaiting my victory, I saw Sam out of the corner of my eye. He passed me and yelled, "On your left!" I reached the tree and laid down under it.

He chuckled as he stood over me, handing me some water. "You okay?"

"Perfectly….fine," I panted and took a sip. "Alright, a deal's a deal." I pulled my body up to lean against the tree. "Where to, Sammy?"

He looked at his phone. "Um,I think I'll have to raincheck that coffee date. I got to get to work"

"No problem." I blinked, "Wait, a date?"

His cheeks reddened. "Um, I mean...Uh..."

I laughed. "Dude, I was joking."

"Joking, right." He stuck his phone back in his pocket.

"Sounds great. I got some stuff I need to catch up on anyways." I reached a hand out for him to pull me up. "Three o'clock at McGee's?"

He grasped my hand, pulling me up. "You got it."

I started to walk away but stopped to look over my shoulder. "Oh, and Sam? Even if it was a date, I wouldn't mind." I turned away grinning and I jogged off.

~:~

"Okay, my dear. Close your eyes and look within."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Colors, shapes...Coulson, no!_ Gasping for breath, I open my eyes. "I can't do this, Professor. Not again," I sobbed. "I can't feel him die again."

"Don't focus on death. Look for life." He smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Closing my eyes again, I searched and found it. _Tony...Steve...Clint...Sam?_ My eyes fluttered open. _Why Sam?_ I lifted my head to look at the Professor. "Why was he…"

"That's for you to figure out." He sat up and pushed his wheelchair back. "You always do."

I cocked my head. "Not really…."

He laughed. "Don't you have a date?"

My gaze jerked towards the clock. _2:58, CRAP!_ I frantically grabbed my things. "I'm sorry, Charlie. It was great seeing you again."

"Likewise, Angie." He wheeled himself behind me. "I can let myself out."

"You sure? Cause I can…"

"Angie, go."

I waived farewell and rushed off towards my car.

~:~

My car squealed into the parking lot. I hopped out and ran in. My eyes darted across the room until I found him. "Sam! I am so sorry," I apologised as a sat down. "I got caught up and I…"

"Chill, no worries." He smiled. "What were you doing anyways?"

"Mostly research." I said as I pulled things out of my bag. "Then, I met up with my old professor. He was in town for some of the Senate stuff." I glance at him. "What 'bout you? How was work?"

He shrugged. "Same old, same old."

"Come on," I whined. "You gotta give me something."

"Unless you want to hear about the cute secretary again," He said quirking a brow, "then no."

I huffed in defeat. "Fine. Want the usual? Coffee, black with a blueberry muffin."

"You got it."

When I came back, Sam was on the phone.

"Look, Mom. It's just a couple of friends getting coffee. Nothing else, okay?" He sighed. "I'll call you back later. Bye." He clicked his phone shut and rested his elbows on the table and rubbed his forehead.

"You okay?" I asked, handing him his coffee.

He took a sip. "Just my mom. Trying to set me up again."

I nodded in understanding. "I got people who do that. Especially, my friend Logan."

"Sideburns?" He smirked.

"Yep. That one." I took a bite of my muffin. "Mainly, he tries to get me back together with my ex."

"What happened with him?"

"I met him through school and one of Tony's projects. We dated for a few years, then something happened and everything changed."

"How?"

I leaned back against my chair. "He got involved in something and I got hurt. At the time, we tried to fix things but the damage had been done. It took a very long time for me to heal from that."

"You ever try to date again?"

"A couple of times," I shook my head. "But not anything serious." I gulp down the last of my coffee and try to change the subject. "So, um, my uncle's moving here soon."

"Tony?"

"No way. He would rather die than be near the Senate again." I laughed. "It's another close friend. He got a job transfer over here."

"Can't wait to meet him." He smiled.

"Oh trust me.." i grinned. "You'll love him."

~:~

 _ **Welcome, my lovelies, to the next chapter of the tale of Angie Jarvis.**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to all who have favorited and followed!**_

 _ **So on to housekeeping… (thank you**_ _ **My Favorite Murder**_ _ **podcast for that wonderful term)**_

 _ **M (guest): The Logan/Angie relationship is not quite what it seems but keep on reading to find out why…..**_

~:~

 _ **A FEW WEEKS LATER**_

After my morning run with Sam, I headed for the Smithsonian. They had opened an exhibit on Captain America. I walked through the wings until I stopped at the one i was looking for.

" _ **Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."**_

I watched the footage and took in his appearance. His hair, his eyes, his smile. It's been a year since I found out the truth. While in captivity, my mother had been impregnated by his DNA. I was a test tube baby.

A kid walked up beside me. He looked at the video then at me. "You kinda look like him."

I smiled. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, you just do."

"Well, kiddo, I will take that as a compliment." I put out my fist to fistbump him, and he bumped it and ran off.

"He's right, you know." I turned to see Steve. "Especially your smile. Big and wide."

"You're back." I beamed.

He walked up and threw his arm around my shoulder. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Him." I stared at Bucky's picture.

He rubbed my arm. "I wish you got to know him. I know he would have loved you."

"I got you," I hugged him. "That's all I need." As he began pulling me away from the exhibit, I turned back to look at his picture one last time. _Bye, dad._

~:~

We went to a diner to have some lunch. Steve fidgeted in his seat. I tried to reach into his mind but it was so clouded i couldn't read anything. He noticed me staring. "What?"

"Sorry, you seem off happened?"

" Nothing. Fury just ticked me off. " he grumbled.

I nodded not pushing further. "So, tell me more about him. Bucky, i mean."

" Well, one time we went to Coney island and- "

I grimaced. "Was it a double date?"

" No, it was just us guys. " A grin crept on his face. "We got on the coaster and I remember we got stuck on it. Oh man, Bucky panicked. The one guy you'd think would never panic. And I had to calm him down."

I laughed. "What happened when y'all got down ?"

" Well, I laughed at him. Then he punched me in the arm and threatened me to not say anything. And I quote, ' _Because it would damage his reputation_.' "

"Is that another thing I get from him?"

"Nah, you definitely got that from Tony."

The waitress came and took our order. "How long y'all been together?"

" How old am I Stevie? "

He shrugged. "I was 6 when you were born, so...29,30."

The waitress blushed in embarrassment. "I am so sorry, I thought.."

"It's okay. We're adopted so we get that a lot. "

"I really didn't mean to offend you."

"Don't worry about it." I reassured her. She nodded and walked off. I looked back at Steve, "Nice acting."

"I was just playing along." He went back to reading his newspaper. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," I shrugged. "I take morning runs in the park, get coffee at McGee's cafe, research at the library and the Smithsonian. So, same old, same old."

"Where you run?"

"Usually around the Reflecting Pool. Somedays Constitution." I smiled at the waitress as she brought our food.

"I ran around the Pool the other day. Met someone."

"Ooooo!," I squealed. I leaned against the table, resting my chin in my hands. "So, what's her name?"

He rolled his eyes at my outburst. "First of all, it's a he, and his name is Sam." _Sam, wait a second. Crappity, crap, crap, crap!_ "And, really? You're just as bad as Natasha."

"Well, you do need to get out more." I stated, matter-of-factly. "We don't want you to die alone."

"When will that happen?" he asked furrowing his brows.

"You never know." I shrugged. "You might get shot, hit by a car, blow up in a plane, slip on a banana peel…"

"Banana peel?"

I dramatically leaned back and covered my eyes. _"Help I've fallen and can't get up!"_

"Yeah, laugh it up." He shook his head. "So, back to MY story." I crossed my arms and slumped into my chair. "His name is Sam…" _Got that._ " and he works down at the VA." _Oh, yeah, definitely Sammy._ "After this, you wanna come with me and meet him?"

"Um…." I had to avoid this. _What can I find to do?_ "Uh, I can't. I need to clean my room."

"You cleaned it yesterday." _He totally_ _doesn't_ _believe me._

"Fine…" _I'm going to regret this._ "I guess I could swing by."

He grinned. "Great. You'll love him."

I smiled and immediately pulled my phone out.

 _ **~Hey, um I might be swinging by with someone. PLEASE pretend you don't know me.**_

 _ **S~ What do you mean?**_

 _ **~I'll explain later**_

I look up from my phone and see Steve staring at me. "What?" He gave me a pointed look. "I forgot to tell my friend Samantha something."

"Okay…." He nodded, taking a bite of his meal. "Why haven't I met her yet?"

"Well, she's always gone. Doesn't have email or any kind of social media," I babbled, him continuing to stare. "And we haven't known each other that long. I thought it would be weird to introduce her to the circus."

He shook his head. "Whatever, kid." He finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth. "You ready?" Finishing my meal, I nodded. "Yep." I grabbed my purse and followed him out

~:~

 _ **VA OFFICE**_

I followed Steve through the familiar hall until we stopped at Sam's class. I motioned for Steve to go in. "I'll just wait out here." I sat on the bench until the vets came out.

Sam walked towards Steve. "Look who it is. The running man."

"Caught the last few minutes. It's pretty intense." Steve said leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, brother, we all got the same problems. Guilt, regret."

"You lose someone?

"My wingman, Riley."

I remembered the story. They were flying a night mission, nothing they hadn't done before. An RPG knocked Riley out of the sky.

"Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch." He glanced over to me and I gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry."

"After that, I had really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

"But you're happy now, back in the world?" Steve asked.

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell, yeah." Sam smiled."You thinking about getting out?"

"No... I don't know." He sighed. "To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did."

I popped my head up and said, "Ultimate fighting," just as Sam did. Steve laughed.

"It's just a great idea off the top of my head." He said. "But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know."

"Thanks a lot, Stevie," I scoffed, as I walked up to the pair. "I thought you cared." I crossed my arms. "Oh, and where are my manners?" I put my hand out. "I'm Angie. Nice to finally meet you." I gave Sam a look to play along.

He slightly nodded, catching my drift. "Likewise. Sam Wilson."

My phone started to buzz. _**Incoming Call...Blocked Number….**_ _Hmmm, that's weird._ "If you will excuse me, I need to take this." I walked away and pressed the button. "Hello?"

" _ **Jarvis, do not trust ANYONE. Do you hear me?"**_ Fury shouted threw the line.

My brows crinkled in confusion. "Nick, what's going on?"

" _ **Can't talk. There's not much time."**_ _Click._

 _What the-?_ I saw Steve walk up beside me, giving me a questioning look. I shrugged.

He nodded. "You heading back home?"

"Yeah," I placed my phone back in my bag. "I gotta do something first, but I will." I hugged him and he went on his way. I walked back inside and saw Sam glaring at me. "What?"

He motioned towards Steve as he drove off. "What do you think?"

"Sorry, but I haven't exactly told him about you. I may…" My face contorted, "have told him that you were a Samantha."

" _Samantha_?" He shook his head. "Why would-You know what? Never mind." He started walking away.

I reached out to stop him. "Sam, I just didn't know how to tell him."

"That we're friends?" He scoffed. "Yeah, like that's really hard."

"I don't know what we are, Sam. I just…." My phone starts buzzing again. _**Blocked number…**_ I sighed, "I'm sorry, I gotta go. I'll call you later." I answer it. "Hello?"

" _ **SHIELD compromised..Get home…"**_ _Click._

"Hello?" I run to my car and race home. I walk through the door and see Steve armed with his shield. A dark figure was on the couch. I squint my eyes and realise it's Fury. "What are you doing here?"

"Wife kicked me out. Didn't know where else to go."

I gave Steve a questioning look. "Didn't know you were married. Doesn't surprise me though."

He chuckled. "Well, you'd be the first." He put a finger to his lips and typed into his phone and turned the screen to us. As I drew closer, I saw the words _ **'Ears everywhere.'**_ "I'm sorry to do this." he typed into his phone again, _**'SHIELD compromised.'**_

"It's okay, stay as long as you need." I said. My breath quickened.

"Does anyone else know about her?" Steve asked

"Just…" He typed, _**'Just me and you two.'**_ "...my friends."

"Is that what we are?"

"That's up to you." Suddenly, three shots rang out through the wall and Fury collapsed.

Steve looked towards the window, searching for the shooter. He helped me drag Fury to the next room. Before he left, Nick handed him a flash drive.

"Don't...trust anyone," He said as he passed out.

The door busted open and a voice rang through the apartment. "Captain Rogers? Miss Jarvis?"

I turned to see a gun drawn. "Kate?"

"Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service. I'm assigned to protect you."

"On whose order?" He demanded.

She gasped, noticing Fury. "His." She goes to Fury, pulling out a radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs."

" _ **Do you have a twenty on the shooter?"**_

"Tell him I'm in pursuit." Steve smashed through the window and ran.

I turned back to the injured man watching his chest rise and fall with rapid breaths.

~:~

 _ **HOSPITAL**_

Doctors frantically operated on him. Natasha and Maria arrived and they immediately started questioning Steve on the shooter. I watched as he began to flatline and as the doctors tried to revive him.

The doctor stepped back. "What's the time?"

"1:03."

Tears stream down my face as I hear the fateful words. A hand touches my shoulder. "Get somewhere safe." Steve whispers.

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here."

I nod and start dialing my phone.

"Hello?" the voice answers.

"Hey, I'm sorry and I know it's late…" I sighed. "But I really need your help, Samantha."

~:~

 _ **(Maniac cackling) And the drama begins...**_


	4. Chapter 3

~:~

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

I hear the thudding of footfall and the door unlocking. "This better be-" Sam looked at me in shock. "What happened?" He moved out of the doorway, letting me walk in.

"I don't want to talk about it." I wiped my nose. "Can we please talk about it in the morning?"

He gave me a small nod. "Let's get you cleaned up." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the bathroom.

For the first time since the fateful event, I saw my makeup-stained face, mascara smeared from the tears.

"Here," he said handing me a wet rag. I nodded my thanks as he left.

As I wiped my face, the memories of the day flooded my eyes. _The gunshots, the sirens, and the monitors_. Shaking my head, I attempted to collect the last bit of sanity that I had. He returned with a shirt and some shorts.

"These may be a little big but-"

"It'll be fine." I smiled. "Thanks."

"Your welcome." He crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at me. "You gonna be okay?"

I nodded. "I'll be fine." I glanced at him giving him a small smile.

He didn't necessarily believe me, but he nodded. "Guest room or couch?"

"Couch."

"You sure?" I nodded reassuringly. "Okay….I'll go get a blanket." He pointed his thumb towards the hall and walked away.

I pulled off my jacket, setting it on the counter. I ran a hand through my brown locks and let out a shaky breath. My hands rested on the counter, keeping my body from collapsing to the ground.

"What the-"

I popped my head up and saw Sam staring at my back. _The scars on my back._ He reached his hand to touch them but pulled back.

"It's okay," I said over my shoulder. "You can touch. It won't hurt me."

His fingers gently brushed over the wounds. "How?" His eyes looked to mine through the mirror.

 _During the battle with Apocalypse, I attempted to bring Warren back from his Archangel persona. He retaliated, shooting out his metal feathers. They sliced my back, leaving the red marks i have now. Once the Angel returned, Warren avoided me, guilt of the damage he had done. I tried to comfort him, but it made us grow even further apart._

"Remember that boyfriend? The one who hurt me?" I sighed. "The scars aren't even the worst of it." I saw the tears lining his eyes. I turned my gaze away from him. "I know...They're ugly."

"No," he objected. He raised my chin to look at him. "Beautiful."

My eyes flicked between his eyes and his lips. "I think I…." _No, no, no, Angie! Don't_ _do this again_ _._ I blinked away the thought. "It's late. I already woke you early enough."

"Yeah, early." He rubbed his neck. "See ya when it's light out."

" Kay"

~:~

 _ **SAM P.O.V.**_

I walked down the hall to my room. My mind was reeling from what I had heard.

 _Her boyfriend did that to her_ _?_ _Oh, when I get my hands on him..._

 _And, ugly? Why did she think those scars were ugly. They make her even more beautiful._

Wait, _BEAUTIFUL? Dammit, Wilson._ You're just friends. _..right?_ _But the look she gave me. She looked like she wanted more than 'just friends.'_ _N_ _o! Get your head out of the clouds._

 _But she wasn't sure what we were, remember?_

I shook the thoughts from my head and turned off the lights.

 _There's no way..._

~:~

 _ **ANGIE P.O.V.**_

 _BANG, BANG, BANG! the shots ran through the spy as he collapsed to the ground. "No!" I screamed as I rushed to his side . I looked to my hands and saw them covered with blood...holding the gun. I shot him! Me! This is all my fault. "No, no, no! Nick!"_

As I dreamt of the horror, I felt someone try to shake me awake.

'Angie, wake up. It's just a dream. Come on..."

I jolted awake, gasping for air. "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead."

"Who's dead?'

"I killed him, it's all my fault."

"Shhh.. It was just a dream. You're okay. "

After my sobs subsided, he got up to walk away. I sat up and grabbed his arm. "Please... Don't leave me..."

He sat down on the couch and I placed my pillow in his lap. I laid down and clung to his chest. My breaths began to even out as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm. Soon, sleep consumed my body and I drifted off until dawn.

~:~

 _ **MORNING**_

My eyelids twitched and my nose filled with the smell of leather and cologne. I reached out but found nothing. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was alone. I bolted up and looked around.

"Morning."

I turned my gaze to the kitchen and saw Sam pouring a cup of coffee.

"Milk and two sugar?"

I nodded, combing my fingers through my hair. "Please." I got up and walked towards the counter. He handed me the mug and I sat down at the bar stool.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How much of last night do you remember?"

I questioningly raised my brow. "Why?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter behind him. "Well, you could start with that nightmare, dream, whatever it was."

Suddenly, all the memories came back from the night. "My friend. And, in the dream, I…." I gulped. "I was the one who killed him." Tears began to fill my eyes. "There was blood all over my hands, and when I looked down, there was the gun. I had shot him. It was my fault…." I shuddered, sobs threatening to overtake my body. "It was my fault….."

Sam walked around the counter and wrapped his arms around me. "What's going on, Ange?"

"Last night, that friend was shot. Right in front of me." My face hardened. "I watched him die. I felt him die." _Felt someone die, again._ "I can't shake that, Sam."

"I've felt that too. You feel like there's…"

"A hole in your chest?" He nodded in reply. "I've felt it before, Sam. And I hate it."

"Why? It shows you care, that you feel. It makes you human."

I shook my head. "If you understood why, then you would feel the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means-" My phone buzzed. _Stay low until clear. I'll contact when safe. -Steve._

"What's that?"

"Steve. He's checking on me."

"Why are you here and not with him?"

"It's-" I sighed. "It's complicated."

"It can't be that complicated," He scoffed.

"Just trust me. I don't know everything that's going on. When I do, you'll be the first to know."

"I think I can live with that. Breakfast?"

I shrugged. "As long as it's edible."

He gaped mockingly. "You of little faith."

"Dude, the only time we eat together is at restaurants." I gave him a questioning look. "Think about it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He pulls out a cast iron pan and flips it in the air. "Prepare to be amazed."

~:~

"Okay," I laughed. "I am amazed."

He bowed. "Thank you, thank you, Hold your applause. Thank you very much."

"Modest much?"

He laughed but his smirk quickly fell. "What's the plan?"

"Dunno?" I shrugged. "Hide out here till everything blows over? I don't know what to do."

"What about the school? Can you go there?"

I shook my head. "And risk their safety? Hell,no."

"What about mine?"

 _I hadn't thought of that. I wouldn't risk the school, but I risked his. What was I doing?_

"You're a big boy. I know you can take care of yourself."

"What about you? Can you take care of yourself?" he asked.

"I was raised by Tony Stark. If I lived through that, I think I can handle anything."

~:~

The rest of the day passed quickly. Sam left to grab more groceries, and I stayed in case SHIELD came looking for me. While he was out, my phone rang.

 _Francis._ I smirked at the caller ID. _Best joke ever._ "Hello?"

" _Ange, where are you?"_

"Sorry, Clint. Can't tell you. Captain's orders."

" _He there with you?"_

"Classified."

" _Ange, I swear-"_ he warned.

"You wouldn't hurt me. You love me too much."

" _Angie! They're going to kill you if you don't get away."_

"I can't leave him, Clint. I won't."

"If you change your mind, you know where to go. Stay safe."

"You too."

"Bye." Click.

I heard the door.

"It's just me," Sam yelled.

As I started walking towards the living room, a wave of dizziness overtook me.

" _ **-They call him the Winter Soldier-"**_

" _ **-Bucky?-"**_

" _ **-Who the hell is Bucky?-"**_

" _ **-I knew him-"**_

" _ **-You're my mission-"**_

" _ **-Then finish it, 'cause I'm with you-"**_

I broke out of the trance and whispered, "Till the end of the line." I raced towards the guest room and pulled the familiar journal out of my bag. I turned to the last entry I had read.

" _ **Through these instances, I met your father. He was kind but cruel at the same time; he was their greatest weapon."**_

 _Their greatest weapon. But who was they?_ I flipped through the pages, searching for some sort of answer; but came up empty.

I heard a knock on the door frame.

"What's up?"

"Um, nothing. I just remembered something."

"Okay….Well, if you're hungry, I brought McGee's."

I grinned. "Monte Cristo?"

He nodded. "With extra sugar and jam."

"This is why your my best friend."

"I try my hardest." He smiled.

I shut the journal and stuffed it back in my bag. "Come on, old man. Let's dig in."

~:~

 **THE NEXT MORNING**

Shortly after we returned from our morning run (me in disguise), a knock was heard at the door.

"Were you expecting anyone?"

Sam shook his head 'no.' When he opened it, I saw Steve and Natasha. "Hey, man."

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve said.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat added.

"Not everyone." Sam moves out of the way, letting them in.

Slowly, I move out of my hiding spot. Steve looks at me in shock.

"How did you..."

I held a hand up to stop him. "Long story. But first, y'all get cleaned up."

They nodded and Sam lead them towards the guestroom.

When he returned, I could feel uneasiness flow from him.

"Hey, Ange. I think we need to talk."

" 'Kay, let's talk while we cook." I said pulling the eggs out of the fridge.

He pulled out a pan and set it on the stove. "It's about the other night."

"If it's about the dream, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. Okay, Sam?"

"It's not about that it's-" He stared at my back. _The scars._

"I told you what happened." I replied as I cracked the eggs.

He grabbed my arm and turned me towards him. "Angie, please. I need to know."

"Let's just say I have a knack for birds." I yanked my arm out of his grasp.

"Angie," he pleaded.

"Fine….My ex has wings. Some evil superpowered being completely brainwashed him and gave him metal wings. When I tried to bring him back, he attacked me. Once he was sane again, he couldn't forgive himself. That's why we broke up. You happy?!" I turned away, tears stinging my eyes.

He cupped my cheek, making me look at him. We leaned in towards each other, the tips of our noses barely touching. A smell came over me. _Is something burning?_

"Crap!" I turned away and tried to salvage the eggs, watching him walk off. I felt the frustration radiating off of him. _Why do you do this to yourself, Angie? You're just setting yourself up to get hurt again. But he's never hurt you. So did the others, and when you fell, you fell hard. And that made the hurt that much worse._

The eggs were destroyed, so I threw them out, starting a new batch. After Sam returned, we finished cooking and the two Avengers joined us. They filled us in on what was going on with SHIELD.

I sat there in shock. "Whoa….that's a lot to take in. So, who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?"

"Pierce." Steve realized.

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world," Tasha added.

"He can't be working alone." I shook my head. "One man couldn't do this much damage by himself."

"He isn't; Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

Natasha's eyes widened. "So was Jasper Sitwell."

I looked to Sam, jerking my head towards the two and mouthed 'the file' to him. He nodded and whispered, "Already on it."

"So, the real question is: how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?"

"The answer is:" he walked over and threw a file on the table in front of them. "You don't."

I walked over to him and stood next to him.

"What's this?" Steve asked.

"Call it a resume."

Tasha took the picture that was on top. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." she turned to steve, "You didn't say he was pararescue."

"This Riley?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Natasha continued to look at the photo. "I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?

He shook his head. "No. These." He hands the file to Steve.

"I thought you said you were a pilot." he said reading the file.

Sam chuckled. "I never said pilot."

Steve shook his head. "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help."

"No better reason to get back in," I agreed. "Trust me, Steve. You need him."

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall." Sam answered.

Steve looked to Natasha who shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem."

As we got ready to abduct Sitwell, I explained to Steve why I came to Sam's.

"Wait, _he's_ Samantha."

"Yeah, sorry." I nodded.

"Why _Samantha_?"

"Well, all the names in my phone are coded. For example, he's Samantha, Tasha's Nate, you're Stefanie, and Clint's Francis."

Steve raised a brow. " _Francis?_ "

I crossed my arms. "I thought you knew your teammates better, Stefanie. How rude!" He snickered at my outburst.

"How'd y'all meet?"

"Same as y'all did. Except we kept passing each other. One thing led to another, and we became...friends."

"Why didn't Sam say anything at the VA?

"When I texted 'Samantha', I was texting him to play along." He nodded in reply. He started walking around the room, hesitating to tell me something.

"Ange, there's something I need to tell you." Steve looked to me. "At the base, Zola said that they covered up deaths to look like accidents." he gulped "Ange, they killed-"

"Howard and Maria? I know."

He shook his head. "They didn't just kill them. They were the reason that-."

I held up a finger and pulled out my journal. I opened it and read,

" _ **I was kidnapped. They tortured me and experimented on me daily."**_ I flipped through the pages, _**"It's been a week since I found out I was sick. You don't know, and we kept it that way. I'm sick from the experiments. The doctors said it has been slowly taking over me for all these years."**_ I shut the book.

"After all the times I read this, I never thought that they would be back."

"Neither did I." Steve shook his head. "You know you don't have to do this."

"They hurt my family. Like I said, no better reason to fight. I'm with you till the end of the line."

He hugged me. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Well, you were my father's best friend. I think that qualifies."

He smiled. "Come on, let's kick HYDRA where it hurts."

~:~

 _ **Thanks to all who have favorited and followed! See y'all next time.**_


	5. Chapter 4

**_You know the drill. I don't own Marvel._**

~:~

Me and Sam sat at the cafe, scouting for Sitwell.

"Well, this is nice. Just a couple of bros drinking some tea."

Sam glared at me. "Are we going to talk about this?"

"Talk about what?"

"Every time we almost...You back away and change the subject."

"Sam, I...I'm-"

He held up a finger. "I got eyes on him." He pulls out his phone and dials. I subtly glance Sitwell.

"Agent Sitwell, how was lunch? I hear the crab cakes here are delicious...The good looking guy in the sunglasses with a smokin ' babe," Sam winked at me, "your ten o'clock." I turned away blushing and saw Sitwell look around but doesn't see us. "Your other ten o'clock." Sitwell turned the other way and saw us sitting a few feet away from him. "There you go. You're gonna go around the corner, to your right. There's a grey car, two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride." He smiled. "Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up." Sitwell looked down at his tie and saw a small red light from the gun being pointed at him.

~:~

 ** _FLASH FORWARD_**

I sat in the car as I waited for "the signal." I reached out and tried to listen to the interrogation on the roof. All of a sudden Sitwell' s body was propelled off the roof. There was a glimmer of metal across the sky as he was caught and brought back to the roof. _Whoa, Sam. Those are..._ I shook the thoughts out of my head and reached out again to listen to the interrogation. All I got was bits and pieces but one sentence rang clear.

 _ **"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."**_

They put him in the car and we started driving towards the Triskelion.

"HYDRA doesn't like leaks. "

Sam glared at him, "So why don't you try sticking a cork in it."

"Insight's launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here, " Tasha said.

Steve nodded. "I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly."

Sitwell replied, "What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea."

Suddenly something lands on the car roof, pulls Sitwell out through the window and throws him into the oncoming traffic, killing him. It started shooting at us until Steve pulled the break, making our attacker drop down onto the street, as another car smashes into the car and pushed us along. He jumped back onto the car, smashed through the windscreen and pulled out the steering wheel.

Sam cursed and Natasha started shooting at him but the Winter Soldier jumped onto the vehicle behind us.

"Who the hell is that?" I yelled.

Natasha quickly turned to me, "the Winter Soldier."

As the car pulled off the road Steve held on to the car door. "Hang on!" he broke open the door, holding onto us , as we slid on the car door through the streets. Hydra agents joined the Soldier and start shooting at us. We start fending them off and Tasha splits off from us and he tails her. Steve notices the Soldier tailing her.

"Go, we got this!" Sam yells and I nod in agreement. After we ran off the agents, we caught up and saw Steve fighting the Soldier. His mask flew off, revealing the face of a dead man.

 _Dad?_ And then everything blurred.

~:~

The agents took us into custody.

Steve sat there in disbelief. "It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me."

"How's that even possible?" Sam asked. "It was like seventy years ago."

"Zola." I quietly answered.

"Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and…"

"None of that's your fault, Steve." Natasha said.

"Even when I had nothing…"

"You had Bucky." I looked up and gave him a small smile.

"We need to get a doctor here." Sam exclaimed. I turned and looked at Natasha. Her shoulder is bleeding really bad. "If we don't put pressure on that wound, she's gonna bleed out here in the truck."

Suddenly one of the guards pulls out an electric rod. _Oh, no._ But he neutralizes the other guard and knocks him out. _What in the…_ The guard takes off his helmet and it's…

"Hill?"

"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain." Sam looked at her in confusion. Hill turned to Steve. "Who's this guy?" Suddenly the vehicle stops.

The vibe from the soldiers outside made me panic. "Hill, we need to get out of here. NOW"

"Already on it."

~:~

 _ **TOP SECRET S.H.I.E.L.D. FACILITY**_

"She's lost at least a pint."Hill told the doctor.

"Maybe two. "Sam added.

" Let me take her."

"She'll want to see him first." Hill said. _Him?_ She brings us to a medical room. And there lies a very-much-alive Nick Fury.

"About damn time." He said.

We looked at him in shock. I was the one who spoke first. "Do you realize what you did?"

He nodded. "Yes I do, Miss Jarvis. Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache."

"Don't forget your collapsed lung," the doctor added as he began tending Tasha's wound.

"Oh, let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open, your heart stopped." Natasha scoffed.

"Tetrodotoxin B." he replied. "Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asked.

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful." Hill replied.

I nodded. "Can't kill you if you're already dead."

"Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust."

I shook my head. "You came to our apartment, Nick. You told us SHIELD was compromised. You put your trust in us that night. So, son't you dare say you didn't know who to trust." I turned away and stormed off.

 _Why did you come back? Why'd you make me care? If I hadn't watched you die, maybe this wouldn't hurt so much. I mean if Coulson came back, I'd…_ I shook the picture out of my head. I leaned against the wall and slid down. I pulled my knees to my chest, taking deep breaths and trying to wrap my head around everything. I heard footsteps approach me and I felt an arm wrap around me.

"You okay?" Sam pulled me to his chest. I shook my head in reply.

"I watched that man get shot. I watched him die on that operating table." I replied. "And he had to come back. It's like if…."

"If what?" He asked. I shook my head. "Say it. Help me understand."

"It's like if Riley came back…" I pulled away and stood up. "If he was alive after all these years."

"Ange, that guy down the hall-"

"Is the person who knows what happened to my mom." I interrupted.

"What about the Soldier? His mask fell off and both you and Steve froze."

"He's my father." I replied.

"How?"

"The experiments." A voice said. Nick Fury. "You're mother was abducted to be the surrogate for Proxima, the next generation of the Winter Soldier."

"What?" I looked at him in disbelief.

"Once she was pregnant, the scientists subjected you to experiments. They wanted to make you stronger and better."

"That's why I…" He nodded in reply. _He knows._

"I know. I've been keeping my eye on you."

 _Creepy…._ "Why did she get sick and not me?"

"You already had the Soldier's serum in your blood. She didn't. And so her body rejected the experiments." He sighed. "She almost lost you."

"How'd y'all find her?" Sam asked.

"We didn't." he answered. "She found us."

"The Soldier helped her escape." Fury looked at me in confusion. "Well, she said my father did. And if the Soldier is Bucky Barnes, then he helped her escape." A wave of dizziness hit me.

" _ **\- Mission report...Mission report, now-"**_

" _ **-The man on the bridge. Who was he?"**_

" _ **-You met him earlier this week on another assignment.-"**_

" _ **-Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century, and I need you to do it one more time.-"**_

" _ **-But I knew him.-"**_

" _ **-Prep him.-"**_

" _ **-He's been out of cryo-freeze too long.-"**_

" _ **-Then wipe him and start over.-"**_

I gasped. "Come on, we have people to save."

~:~

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said, 'Peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility.'" Nick threw a picture of Pierce on the table. "See, it's stuff like this that gives me trust issues."

"We have to stop the launch." Natasha said.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Fury opened a case containing three chips.

Sam steps closer to the table. "What are those?"

"Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet," Hill turns her computer around showing a computer model of Insight. "they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized."

"We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own." Fury continued.

"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is HYDRA. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left…"

"We're not salvaging anything," Steve exclaimed. "We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD"

"SHIELD had nothing to do with it."

"Like hell it did, Nick." I objected.

"You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you said so yourself. HYDRA grew right under your nose and no one noticed."

Fury gestured to the room around him. "Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed."

"And how many paid the price before you did?"

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes."

"Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too?" Steve replied. "SHIELD, HYDRA, it all goes."

"He's right," Hill muttered. Fury looked at me and Tasha and then at Sam.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower."

"Well…" Fury leaned back in his chair. "Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

~:~

Me and Sam walked outside and saw Steve standing on the bridge.

"He's gonna be there, you know?"

"I know." Steve replied.

"Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop."

"I don't know if I can do that."

I gave Sam a pleading look. "We have to try, Sam."

"Well, he might not give y'all a choice. He doesn't know you."

"He will. Gear up, it's time." Steve turned and started to walk off.

"You gonna wear that?" I asked.

"No. If you're gonna fight a war, you gotta wear a uniform."

I smirked as I saw the idea in his head. _That poor security guard…._

"You don't have to do this," Sam said as he turned to me.

"I know."

"But I know I can't stop you." He grasped my shoulders. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try."

He nodded as he released me. He turned to walk away. "Come on, you heard the Captain. Suit up…"

~:~

 _ **Hey guys! Remember to review. I like to hear the feedback.**_

 _ **I plan on finishing Rhapsodies before I publish another story in a different AU.**_

 _ **If you want to get a sneak peek at my next story (possibly series), check out Black Dragon Trilogy Prologue on my page.**_

 _ **Thank you and see you next time!**_


	6. Chapter 5

~:~

Maria walked into the room and threw a bag down on the table in front of me.

"What's this?" She nodded for me to open it. I opened it and saw the familiar jumpsuit.

"Took us some time, but we got it."

"Thanks, but do you have a mask by any chance?" I motioned to my face. "I don't want the world to know about this just yet."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Hill turned and walked out.

I pulled on my suit. It was black with yellow accents and had the classic X for my team. I looked at the X and pulled it off. _The world doesn't need to know about us just yet, guys._ A knock on the door pulled me out my thoughts.

"You ready?" Steve asked. "Oh, and Hill said to give you this"

I took the mask from his hand and put in on. "Now I am. Let's go."

~:~

 _ **SHIELD-TRISKELION**_

 _Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not._

"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked smugly.

Steve smiled and then turned to me. "Stay close."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

~:~

One by one we took down Alpha and Bravo helicarriers. As we approached the third carrier, I caught sight of the Soldier. Sam dropped me off as he went to catch Steve and bring him back. I started walking towards his hiding place then stopped.

"Papa?" I called out. He didn't budge. I walked a little closer and reached out to his mind. _"Papa? It's me."_ I felt him jump in surprise.

Suddenly, the guys flew overhead and landed. The Soldier came out and shoved Steve off the ledge.

"Steve!" We yelled as Sam flew off to save him. The Soldier grab one of his wings and threw him back onto the ship. Sam fired back in retaliation and attempted to fly off again. Then, the soldier shot off a weapon and ripped off the wing, causing Sam to plummet to the ground.

"Sam!" I screamed as I ran towards the edge. I saw his parachute deploy and watched him land on the Triskelion. I turned around, looking for my father; and found the deck empty.

"Cap? Come in, are you okay?" Sam yelled through the comms.

For a moment there was silence and then he finally answered. "Yeah, I'm here! I'm still on the Helicarrier. Where are y'all?"

"I'm grounded, the suit's down. Sorry, Cap."

I got up and started running towards the bridge of the ship. "I'm still here, Steve. Where are you?"

"Heading towards the computers."

"So am I. see you there."

~:~

 _(_ _ **Bold Italics**_ _is character speaking in Russian/whatever foreign language the Winter Soldier speaks.)_

Once we got inside we were met by the Soldier.

"People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve called out. He gave us a cold glare. "Please, don't make me do this."

I walked out on the bridge, putting myself between Steve and him. _**"Papa?"**_

" _ **Why are you here? Stay out of this, angel."**_

I shook my head. _**"I can't let you do this. He's my friend."**_

" _ **I'm sorry, angel. He's my mission. Now get out of here."**_

I kept shaking my head.

"Angie, go. I'll bring him back." Steve said. I nodded in reply and gave my father one last pleading look. I jumped out of the carrier and activated my flight suit, landing on the roof of the Triskelion below.

~:~

"Sam!" I yelled after I landed.

He ran up checking me over for injuries. "Where's Cap?"

"He's still up there. He wouldn't let me stay. My-"

"Dad's up there?" I nodded in reply.

"I tried to stop him, but…"

" _ **Falcon?"**_ Hill commed.

"Yeah?"

" _ **Rumlow's headed for the Council."**_

'We're on it." I answered as we ran inside.

~:~

"I'm on forty-one, headed towards the southwest stairwell." Rumlow said as he walked inside the room. Sam jumped out and attacked, but he managed to throw Sam to the ground.

"This is gonna hurt."

I came out of my hiding spot and replied, "Not like this is." I attacked him, using my telekinesis to strengthen my attack. He grabbed me by the throat and threw me to the ground as well.

"There are no prisoners with HYDRA, just order. And order only comes through pain. You ready for yours?"

Sam helped me up and turned to him and said, "Man, just shut the hell up."

And they attacked each other again. After Sam was thrown over the table, I jumped onto Rumlow's back and attempted to knock him unconscious. He released my grip and threw me over to Sam.

"You're out of your depth, kid." Suddenly the first Helicarrier crashed into the Triskelion, catching Rumlow in the destruction. We turned and sprinted away.

"Please, tell me you got that chopper in the air!" Sam yelled threw the comm.

" _ **Sam, where are you?"**_

"41st floor, north-west corner!"

" _ **We're on it, stay where you are."**_

"Not an option!" As the building is being destroyed, Sam yells, "Hold onto me." I grab hold of him and we jumped out of the window as Natasha and Fury fly their chopper, barely in time to catch us.

As we catch our breath from the excursion, Sam yelled, "41st floor! 41st!"

Nick looked back, "It's not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building!"

Nat put her hand to her comm. "Hill, where's Steve? You got a location on Rogers?"

"He's still on Charlie."

"What?"

"He…" My sentence was cut short by a flash of dizziness.

" _ **-You know me-"**_

" _ **-No, I don't!-"**_

" _ **-Bucky, you've known me your whole life-"**_

" _ **-Your name is James Buchanan Barnes-"**_

" _ **-Shut up!-"**_

" _ **-I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend.-"**_

" _ **-You're my mission. You're my mission!-"**_

" _ **-Then finish it. Cause I'm with you to the end of the line.-"**_

I gasped as it passed over me.

"Angie, you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah….I'm okay."

~:~

 _ **THE NEXT DAY**_

We sat in the hospital room, waiting for him wake up. I sat next to Sam, resting my head on his shoulder as I slept. The sounds of 'Trouble Man' filled the room. Suddenly, the was a spike of brain activity and I blinked my eyes as I woke up.

"On your left."

Sam and I looked over and smiled. I got up and gently hugged him. "You're lucky you're hurt or I would have beat the crap out of you myself."

~:~

 ** _Thanks to all who have favorited and reviewed! See you next time!_**


	7. Chapter 6

~:~

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" Fury said as he walked up to us at the cemetery.

"You get used to it." Steve replied.

" ' _The path of the righteous man. Ezekiel 25:17'_?" I quirked a brow at the man. "We both know that's not in the Bible."

"Maybe not, but it's a excellent movie quote." I nodded in agreement. He turned back to Steve. "We've been data-mining HYDRA's files. Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm headed to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come."

"There's something I gotta do first."

"How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities."

Sam glanced over to me and then back at Fury. "I'm more of a soldier than a spy."

"Jarvis? Or is it Barnes now?"

"Either way, and I'll pass. I've had way too much excitement for my liking."

"Alright then." The three of us shake hands with him. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." He said as he pointed at the gravestone, and he walked away.

"You should be honored, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you." Natasha called out as she approached. Steve whispered something to Sam and then went over to her and continued talking.

"We need to talk." Sam pulled me aside. "Look, I'm sorry for pushing you about your ex and for questioning every decision you've made these past few days. And I-"

I pulled his face towards mine and kissed him. Once we broke apart, he gave me another peck on the lips.

"That was…" I placed my fingers on his mouth stopping his speech.

"I've learned to trust you more these past few days than the few months we've known each other. There's nothing to be sorry about." I kissed him again.

"I could get used to this." He pulled me against his chest. I leaned my head back to look at him and I smiled.

"You can say that again, hotshot." I laughed as we leaned in again until a cough interrupted us.

Natasha smirked. I stuck my tongue at her and pressed a quick kiss on his lips as I glared at her. She shook her head and walked away. We walked over to Steve as he looked at a file.

"You going after him?" Sam asked.

"You don't have to come with me."

"I know." He pulled his arms around me and turned back to Steve. "When do we start?"

~:~

 _ **A FEW DAYS LATER**_

"I'll see you later." I said giving Sam a kiss on the lips. "Pick me up?"

"Text me when you're ready." I nodded in reply and waved goodbye.

I took a cab to the museum and walked towards the Captain America exhibit for one last time. I walked through until I reached the Bucky Barnes wing. The same videos and audio played before me as I took it in with a new look.

 _I will find you. I promise._ I felt a wave of anxiety hit me. Glancing beside me, I saw him. "Papa?" I whispered. He looked up and place a finger to his lips. He tapped his finger to his temple. I reached for his mind, _**'Are you okay?'**_

He blinked in affirmation. _ **'Don't worry about me. Don't look for me.'**_

' _ **Why? Steve...he can help you.'**_

' _ **I need to do this on my own. I want to find this guy that I once was. Understand?'**_

I nodded. _**'Where are you going?'**_

' _ **I don't know. Wherever the trail leads me.'**_ We stood there a few moments until I finally broke through again.

' _ **Did you love her?'**_

His thoughts were jumbled until he clearly thought, _**'From what I remember, yes, I did.'**_

' **That's all I needed to know.'** I smiled and turned to walk away. One last time, I reached out and said, _**'Stay safe. I love you.'**_ I felt him smile as I walked away.

~:~

 **A FEW WEEKS LATER**

For the past few weeks me and Sam had been following leads on my dad. We had grown closer in our relationship, but we still hit some roadblocks. My history in romance didn't help. I know he wouldn't try to hurt me. But that's what I thought with the others and they ended up hurting me anyways.

I leaned back in my seat and rested my feet on the dash, music flowing through the car as we drove down the highway. Me and him had got into a conversation that didn't end well. As we sat there, brooding over everything, a song came on that I knew would give him the answer we needed. When the second verse came along, I turned up the volume and went back to staring at the flowing landscape.

 _ **~I don't mean to be so uptight, but my heart's been hurt a couple times**_

 _ **By a couple guys that didn't treat me right**_

 _ **I ain't gon' lie, ain't gonna lie~**_

I glanced back at him, hoping the message was getting through.

 _ **~'Cause I'm tired of the fake love, show me what you're made of**_

 _ **Boy, make me believe~**_

Sam turned to look at me and grabbed my hand and squeezed it. He gave me a look that gave me the answer I needed:

 _ **~But hold up, girl, don't you know you're beautiful?**_

 _ **And it's easy to see~**_

He lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed it and held onto it as the song finished.

We sat there for a few more songs until Sam broke the silence.

"Tell me about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything." I gave him a look. "From the beginning. I want to know what I'm getting into."

I frowned. "There are things you wouldn't want to know, Sam."

"Ange, please." He glared.

I sighed. "Okay, well, I grew up in…."

~:~

"Boarding school? Never thought you were the type for that."

"Well, that ties into the next part. Can you keep a secret?"

"What kind? Could I get in trouble?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes or no?"

"Yeah, I can."

I took a deep breath. "So it's kinda….not a boarding school. It's a school for gifted people."

"Like super smart people?"

"Kinda but not really. It's gifted as in special abilities."

"Superpowers?"

"Yes, like superpowers." I exclaimed. "For example, the boyfriend I told you about, he..."

His eyes widened. "That's what you meant by wings…."

"What did you think I meant?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"Wings like mine just….Nevermind. What about you?"

"This is where I need you to keep an even bigger secret." I closed my eyes and reached out and said, _**'I can do this'**_ I levitated his hula girl _**'And this.'**_

His eyes widened and he swerved over to the road stop ahead of us.

"What the heck, Sam!"

He pulled the truck into park. "What else?" He said as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"I can see things as or before they happen. The 'as' part is more recent."

"Is that why you space out?" I nodded in reply. "Who else knows?"

"To my knowledge, only Pepper, a dead friend, and, apparently, Nick Fury does."

"Tony doesn't, why?"

"I'll tell you what I told Pepper. Where I come from, people have been killed because others want to know how we exist. I never told him because I was afraid. Afraid that he would be just like them and I didn't want to risk that."

"Men fear what they don't understand." he replied.

"Exactly."

"Anything else that newsworthy you need to tell me?"

"Well, I dated my bodyguard, but our breakup wasn't as newsworthy. It was mutual. We wanted other things and split up. I was in some other relationships but never anything serious. Not till now. Plus…" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I _really_ love pie."

He chuckled as he pulled the truck back into drive and turned back to the highway. It was silent for hours until he finally said, "I won't tell anyone." I turned my face towards him. "I love you too much to tell."

I lean over and capture his lips into a kiss. "I love you too." I whispered against his lips. After we broke apart, I slid across the seat and sat next to him.

"Promise me you'll tell them one day." He threw his arm across my shoulders as I leaned against him.

"I will...one day." I said as I fell into a deep sleep.

~:~

 ** _I know this chapter's a little short. But fair warning, these next few filler chapters will be as well._**

 ** _Thanks to all have favorited and reviewed! See you next time!_**


	8. Chapter 7

_**Sorry for the late update. I've been getting ready for college and my work schedule does not agree with my writing time. (A/N at the bottom.)**_

 _ **(And also, in the last chapter I forgot to say that I do not own the lyrics to Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha's "Meant to Be."**_

 _ **I try to put those disclaimers in so I do not face the wrath of corporate goonies.**_

 _ **Now onto the story…..**_

 _ **~:~**_

 _ **A FEW MONTHS LATER- XAVIER MANSION**_

"So, this is where it all started."

Sam stood in awe of the sight before him. "This is…."

"Awesome?" He nodded his head in reply. "I thought you'd like it, but there's more. Come on!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. Once inside, we ran into Logan.

"Hey there, stranger."

"Hey, Logan." I smiled, giving him a hug. "I'd like you to meet Sam, my…"

"Let me guess. The boyfriend." He said. "Better keep him away from Warren."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about him. I'll deal with it."

"Whatever you say." He replied. "Just remember that you almost strangled him the last time."

"At least I actually didn't do it, that I just thought it."

He rolled his eyes and started walking away. "Jean and Ro are outside if you're wondering."

"Thanks, Logan."

"You're welcome." He shouted.

"Let me guess," Sam said. "Warren's the ex." I nodded in reply.

"Let me introduce you to the others."

~:~

After introducing Sam to everyone, we headed inside for dinner. During dinner, Jean leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Warren needs to talk to you."

I glared at her in reply. "What is it this time?" She shrugged.

"He didn't say."

I wiped my mouth and set my napkin on the table. "Get Logan and Sam to follow. Not to close." She nodded and headed off to find them. I searched for his mind and headed towards the fountain. When I got outside, I saw him sitting on the edge of the fountain. "What, Warren?"

"How've you been?"

"You couldn't have asked me that inside?" I asked, glaring at the blond. "Probably would have saved you from getting hurt this time."

"Probably would have, but I wanted to talk to you." he replied. "Alone."

"Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine. I'm happy, and most of my life is….good."

He gave me a questioning look. "You hesitated."

"Warren, I've had a rough few weeks. I don't know how to exactly put it." I crossed my arms. "What did you really want to ask."

"When did he happen?"

"Why does it matter?" I hissed. " It's my life not yours."

"Well, I'm sorry that I still worry for you," he replied.

"And why is that?"

"Well, there was the bodyguard and a few other…"

I chuckled. "You just HATE that I moved on, don't you?"

"I"m not the one who started dating their best friend a week after we broke up."

"That's what this is about?" I turned to him, red-faced and jaw slack. "Logan's my friend. Of course i went to him."

"More like made-out with him…" He muttered.

"It doesn't matter, Warren!" I shouted. He jumped at my outburst. I took a deep breath."We didn't expect to... But it doesn't matter, it didn't last long anyways."

"Why? Cause he found out who you really are?"

And that was when I snapped. I reached out, raising him in the air by the throat. "Shut up!" He wriggled around gasping for air.

Voices called out trying to stop me but I shut them out. Then a voice can right beside me.

"Angie, stop!" Sam shouted.

"He crossed the line."

"Maybe he did." I tearily glanced into his brown eyes. "But if you do this, what makes you any better than him?" With that, I set the winged mutant free.

Warren fell to the ground, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. "Exactly what I thought. You're a monster."

I whipped my head back towards him. "If I am, then you are too."

"That's enough!" the Professor shouted. "My office, NOW."

~:~

"Now, I think the two of you would know better than to do what you just did." the Professor barked. "Warren, you provoked her to her actions." He turned to me. "Angie, you know violence does not solve everything."

"We're sorry, Charles." Warren replied. I nodded in agreement.

"I have let this go on to long." He sighed. "I think the both of you need to understand the other's perspective. Close your eyes."

After I closed my eyes, I felt...him.

 _I saw the day I had left. On the balcony, he watched me drive off. He stormed back into the school towards his room. He wept for us, for the love lost. His sorrow turned to pain; and pain to anger._

My eyes shot open. I glanced over to see him staring at me, eyes wet with tears.

"I…"

I nodded. "Me too." I held my hand out to him and he took it squeezing it gently.

~:~

After our week at the School, we started driving to Stark Tower.

"So...Logan?" Sam asked.

I cringed. "Yeah….not one of my best decisions."

"What happened with you and Warren."

"We were...engaged," I replied. "That's part of why we have problems."

He nodded and silence came across the vehicle again.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"For what?"

"What I did to him." I replied, pulling my knees to my chest. "I never thought it would go that far."

"What happened?" he asked.

"You have to be more specific, babe."

"What happened for you to just lash out like that?"

I stared through the windshield and towards the road. "He hasn't forgiven me for Logan."

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "After I left him, I vented my anger and frustration out on Logan. I just needed him to give me a hug and tell me everything was going to be alright. One thing led to another and we ended up kissing. First couple of weeks were great. But by the third, I felt guilty and I realized that I loved Logan, but only as a friend."

"That doesn't explain Warren."

"After I cut things off with Logan, Warren found out and we argued. It ended up starting a fight between the two of them and it didn't end well." I wrapped my arms around me and continued. "That day, I told him I was leaving and never wanted to see him again. He said that was fine; he was leaving anyways."

The car pulled up to a stop light. "After that?"

"Basically what you saw that night." I replied. "Minus the telekinetic violence."

He nodded as the light turned green. "I hate to be all shrink to you right now but I have to. I think the reason you fight with him is because you still love him and you hate that you do."

I was shocked. He….hit it right on the head. There were times I almost went back to Warren, but I always stopped myself.

Sam's voice broke my thoughts. "He was your first love. You never forget them."

"The bad thing, Sam, is that I haven't forgotten any of them. Warren, Gr-the other guy. They all had their mark on my heart. That's why I-."

"Angie, I know." he interjected. "And I know that's not going to change what we have."

I turned to him, eyes red as I fought back tears. "What if it does?"

"Dammit, Angie." He said under his breath. He pulled into a motel and parked. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Does it even matter? If it does change what we have, let it be for the better. If it doesn't change, then let it still be for the better." He took my face in his hands and rested his forehead on mine. "If there is one thing I wouldn't change about this, it would be you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're not getting away from me that easy."

"I…." I stammered, as I stared into his eyes. "I love you." His lips pressed against mine. I grinned against his lips. "Is that your reply?"

"I'll love you till the day I die. For better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness, health, the whole nine-yards, Ange."

"You trying to say something, Samuel?" I teased. "Proposing or something?"

He shrugged. "Not necessarily. But I'll admit I've thought of it." He took my hand in his, playing with my ring finger. "I see us with a ring on this, some kids, white picket fence and all."

"I do too. Just not right now." I pulled his face to look at me. "I see it too. I see a little girl running in the yard with her brother and me heavily pregnant. I griped at you for it too. But you smiled and said you loved me too." We laughed. I saw his face fall. "We could have that life later on, but it doesn't mean we can't start it now."

"Like now?"

"No, you handsome dummy. Let's just say…" I tapped my finger on my lips. "Engaged till a later date."

He reached into his shirt and pulled off his tags. "I know it's not a ring, but..."

I smiled in reply and pulled my hair out of the way as he placed it around my neck. "It's perfect." We leaned in for one more kiss and then we pulled out and continued our journey.

~:~

 ** _So, as I said I'm sorry for the late update. After I finish this installment and another story of mine (check out 'Carry on Wayward One' if you like Supernatural), I'm probably going to take a small break from writing._**

 ** _I do not know how my school schedule is going to fit in with writing, but I will do my best to write, even if it's one-shots._**

 ** _With that said, if you want to be updated on new stories that I'm writing follow and favorite me._**

 ** _Thanks all, Serafina._**


	9. Chapter 8

_**~:~**_

 _ **AVENGERS TOWER**_

"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it."

Steve smirked. "If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called y'all."

"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough," Sam said.

"Yeah, Stevie. We're very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case." I added sticking my tongue out at him. Steve rolled his eyes at my antics.

"Anyways," Sam continued. "Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy."

"Be it ever so humble."

"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?" Sam asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Steve shook his head. "I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn." I opened my mouth to reply but he cut me off. "And I don't need any of Stark's money." I shrugged and nodded in reply.

"Well, home is home, you know?" Sam replied. He threw his arm across my shoulders and pulled me close, pressing his lips in my hair.

"I'm gonna go hang with Clint. I'll come find you when I'm ready."

"Sounds good." he replied. I gave him a kiss as I left and walked back towards the stairs.

I walked past Uncle Rhodey retelling his latest "badass mission." I chuckled as the group laughed. I don't know what's funnier: the story or the fact that it isn't. I kept moving through the crowd until I found the blond-haired archer.

"Sup, Guyliner."

He spun around. "Guyliner! You're one to talk."

I chuckled. "Dude, even if you had anything on me, you'd never prove it." I turned to his companion. "Dr. Cho, thanks for patching up my dork brother. Let's just hope the plastic doesn't get to his head."

"No problem, Ms. Jarvis." she replied.

"Please, call me Angie. We're all friends here." I shook her hand and she bid us farewell. I turned back to Clint. "So, wanna blow this popsicle stand and go play some video games. I got the new game."

"Arkham?"

"Heck yeah! What else would I get? Splatoon?"

~:~

 _ **A FEW HOURS LATER**_

"Man, this game is sweet."

I nodded my head, grinning. "Amen, brother."

"So, what's with you and that friend of Cap's? Wilson, right?" Clint asked.

"Why?"

"Y'all seem….close." He replied, pausing the game.

I look at him in shock. "Dude, I almost had it!"

He grabbed the controller out of my hand and threw it on the table. "What's going on between the two of you?"

"We're dating. That's it." I grabbed the controller off the table and turned the game back on. "End of story."

He scoffed. "I know you better than anyone else. I know you're lying. What's really going on?"

I looked around to make sure no one was watching. After I turned back to him, I pulled out the chain from under my shirt and pulled it over my head. When I handed him the tags, he gave me a confused look.

"So? Most soldiers give their girls their tags."

I let out a sigh. "We're...I don't know how to say it, Clint."

"Tell me what happened."

After taking a deep breath, I recounted how we got "engaged."

"That's not as hard as you made it seem, sis," he said.

"You know me. I tend to overthink things."

He nodded in agreement. "So, who else knows?"

"Just us and you."

His eyes widened. "You haven't told…..He's gonna be ticked."

I shrugged. "So… how's the fam?"

"Good...wait a second. Don't change the subject." He exclaimed.

"Clint, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"You're gonna have to tell them sometime."

I nodded. "I know. But I don't want them to know yet."

"Why?"

"The same reason your family is off the grid."

He sat there in silence until he finally nodded. "I understand that. But I have to ask one thing: what are you going to do when everyone finds out about this and they find out you got hitched?"

"Hopefully, by the time a wedding comes around, I'll tell them." I replied. "But right now I don't know."

He reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Look, I know how you get when things don't go as planned. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

I smiled and nodded my head. I looked at my phone and saw the time. _9:00, crap!_ I bolted up from my chair and gave Clint a quick hug. "Sorry, I got to go. We were supposed to head out an hour ago."

He laughed. "It's okay, stay safe."

"I will. Tell the others I said hi."

"I will. See ya later." I waived in reply and ran for the elevator. A few minutes later I got to the party and saw that everybody was starting to leave.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." Sam said as he ran up to me. "You ready?"

I nodded. "Sorry, we got deep into the game and I lost track of time." He handed me my shawl and I put it on. "So, what wild goose are we chasing now?"

~:~


	10. Chapter 9

~:~

Ring. Ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, sis. I really need your help."

"Dude, I've seen the news. I think need is an understatement."

Clint sighed. "I know...can you just- just get to the farm? Warn the others before we get there."

"I'm a little ways away, but I'll get there. How far y'all out?"

"We'll be there in the morning. And, thank you."

"You're welcome. Stay safe."

"You too." Click.

"What was that about?" Sam asked.

"We need to turn on the next exit and head back to Waverley." I said as I began to make another call.

He glared at me. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'll explain in a bit." The phone picked up on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sis. It's me."

"Hey! How's it going?"

"Good. Look, I'm coming into to town for a couple of days. Is-"

"Yes, you can stay. It's not like you dropped in without telling us."

"You have no idea," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I was talking to someone. I'll be there in a hour."

"Okay, see you soon."

"Bye." I ended the call and turned back to an annoyed Sam. "What?"

"You know what."

I let out a frustrated breath. "Clint called in a favor. I can't tell you anymore than that."

"Why's that? Because it looks like it's more than a favor." He replied.

"Sam, all I can tell you is that it has to do with that Avengers showdown that happened. They're laying low." Sam went to ask where but I interrupted. "That's not my place to say, okay? This is Clint's secret. He promised to keep our secret, just as I keep his."

"Why Waverley?"

"Old informant." He gave me a quizzical look in reply. "Just drive, Sam."

~:~

After settling down in the motel, I took the car and headed towards the outskirts of town. I drove down the winding dirt road till I reached the old farmhouse. As I reached the front porch, Laura opened the door with a smile and the two kids ran out to hug me.

"Auntie G!"

They hit me with a thud. "Hey, guys. Y'all helping your momma out like I told you?"

Lila nodded. "Uhuh. Well, we try to." Cooper nodded in agreement.

"At least you try." I replied ruffling their hair. "How's Barton number three doing?"

Laura rubbed her swollen stomach. "Kickboxing with my bladder."

I winced. "Let's hope that never happens with me." She nodded enthusiastically.

"Come on, let's get inside."

~:~

After the kids went to bed, we went outside to sit on the porch.

"So, I have a feeling you're here for other reasons."

I nodded. "Clint called me this morning. Asked me to come warn you that he's bringing the others."

"I saw the news. I had a feeling that was going to happen." She said. "So how've you been? What's going on with you?"

I took a sip of my tea. "Well, between us and a select few: I'm engaged."

"What! That's great." She replied. "What do you mean between…" She motioned between us.

"My other family and friends don't know."

"Why?"

"Same reason you guys are here, and not with Clint at the Tower." I leaned back and closed my eyes. "I've never had normalcy. It's always been out there for everyone to see. People can be evil; I don't want my life to be used against me."

She nodded and squeezed my arm. "Just like your gift."

My eyes shot open. "You know?"

She chuckled. "I saw you use your powers. I knew you had a reason to hide them."

"You didn't tell him, did you?" She shook her head in reply. "Good."

"Why good?"

"I trust them, but one thing could turn someone against me."

"What if not telling them is the turning point," she asked. "What if something happens and your powers lash out?"

I sat there in silence as I remembered my confrontation with Warren. What if I lash out like I did with him? Sam was there to stop me, but what if he isn't again. She was right. Either way they could hate me and turn away.

I turned back to her, saying, "I don't know." My eyes welled up with tears. "I've lived with that secret for so long that I really don't know. I, personally have told three people. All have had good reactions. But those are people that I would take a bullet for."

"Would I know them?" I nodded my head in reply telling her it was Coulson. She motioned for me to proceed.

"I have lashed out before. It was against someone like me, and he provoked me. At least there, I had someone to calm me down. If it happens again," More like when it happens. "I don't know what would happen."

Her eyes widened. "You know what's going to happen, don't you?"

I shook my head in reply. "Not fully, but I know bits and pieces." I turned to look at her. "There's a war coming, Laura. And it's going to rip me apart."

"What's that supposed to mean," she asked, panicking.

"My family is going to be divided, forcing me choose a side or face the consequences." I took in a sharp breath as i held back the emotions threatening to pour out. "In my efforts to stop them, my powers will be revealed. And that's all I know."

"And that's why you're afraid," she replied.

"I love these people with all my heart. I can't watch them tear each other apart; I won't let them."

She smiled. "I know. That's why they care for you just as much." Laura leaned forward and shakily stood up. "Come on, it's late. We gotta get ready for our 'unannounced' guests." I stood up and followed her back in the house. "When they get here, I'll ask Clint if that boyfriend of yours can come and stay."

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Probably the motherly side of me not wanting that poor man sleeping on an uncomfortable motel mattress."

I hugged her. "Thank you. For everything."

"Your welcome."

~:~

"Auntie G! Auntie G, wake up!"

I woke up to the two Barton children jumping on my bed.

"Five more minutes," I muttered, receiving a pillow to my blanket covered head.

"Momma made chocolate pancakes." Lila replied. "She said if you don't get down there now, the baby will eat them for you."

"Well, in that case…" I sat up and hit them with my hidden pillow, both shrieking as it hit.

I followed them down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"There you are. The baby was getting hangry." Laura said.

I glared at her. "The baby has a year till he can have my pancakes." Laura handed me a stack of the pancakes and I devoured them.

"Cooper, LIla, go do your chores. We have some stuff to do today." She said, giving me a wink. Both gave a 'yes, ma'am' and ran out. "So, how long do you plan on staying?"

I held up a finger as I swallowed. "How 'bout till the baby's here?"

"That's longer than I thought, but that would be really nice."

I scarfed down the last few bites and placed my dishes in the sink. "So, how are you gonna tell Tasha that little 'Natalia' is going to be 'Nathaniel'."

She grimaced. "We'll deal with that later."

I laughed. "Well, I'm gonna get dressed. I'm gonna go run in town to check on Sam."

"Sounds good, can you get me a gallon of milk while you're out?"

I gave her a thumbs up. "You got it, sister."

~:~

After arriving to the hotel, I knocked on the door as I opened it. "Babe? You up?" I heard the water running in the bathroom. Placing his breakfast on the table, I walked into the kitchenette and turned on the coffee pot. Once I heard the door open, I called out. "You're breakfast is on the table."

He yelped. "Dammit, Angie! Give a guy a little warning."

"I did knock." I turned my head to glance at him. "At least you're dressed." I saw him roll his eyes, shaking his head. I walked up to him giving him a hug and a kiss. "You sleep good?"

He shrugged. "Considering I slept with springs poking me in my back, I guess so."

"Well, don't you worry. We'll be upgrading soon."

Sam quirked his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out when we get there. Plus, I was trying to get a safe house ready."

"For the team?" I nodded in reply. "Let's go meet up with them, then."

"No, Sam." I said, shaking my head. "This is something they need to figure out themselves. This is their problem."

"Angie," He warned.

"Please, trust me." Once he nodded his head, I grabbed my stuff and headed towards the door. "I have to got meet up with my informant again. I'll come check up on you again tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll try to call you before then."

"Okay, stay safe."

"Don't I always?" I replied, smiling as I shut the door.

~:~


	11. Chapter 10

_**Here's another chapter for y'all!**_

~:~

Soon after I got back to the Barton homestead, the sound of aircraft engines were heard above.

"I'm gonna go hide upstairs." I told Laura, jabbing my thumb towards the stairs. "Don't say anything."

"You got it."

I took off running up the stairs and into my room. Looking out the window, I saw their war-torn expressions as they walked towards the house. I heard the door creak open and Clint call across the house.

"Honey, I'm home!" Soon two pairs of footfall run down the stairs, yelling 'Dad!'

I heard Laura in my mind telling me to come on down. As I walked towards the stairs, I heard Clint ask, "Is she here?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself, bro?" I replied as I walked down.

"Angie?" Tony asked.

I gave him a small wave. "Hey, Uncle Tony." Once I saw his face cloud with mixed emotions, I walked up to him, wrapping my arms around him. He buried his face into my shoulder. "It's okay, I got you." The others began walking towards their respective rooms to get cleaned up.

He let go of me and began to wipe the tears off his cheeks. "How long have you been here?"

"Since last night." I replied. "Clint called me to give her a heads up."

"Wait, you knew about this place?"

I nodded my head. "A few weeks after the Invasion, Clint brought me up here. I needed the peace and quiet." I saw him rub his hand over his face. "Go get cleaned up. Take a nap," I said, pushing him towards the stairs. "You need it."

"Okay…" He replied. "You have no idea how great it is to see you."

I gave him a small smile. "I know. I love you, Tony."

"Love you, too, kid."

~:~

"Hey, Angie?" Laura asked as she peeked through the kitchen entry. "Can you come here a second?"

I ran into the kitchen. "What's up?" Clint shut the door to the kitchen and checked for listening ears. He placed a finger to his lips. "What," I whispered.

"Me and Laura talked..." He said in a low voice.

"And…"

Laura gave Clint a nod. "And you can bring Sam here."

I ran up and hugged the two of them. "Thank you."

"But after we leave. And he needs to keep this between us."

I gave him a thumbs up. "You got it. Laura, do you need any help?"

"Can you tell the others that lunch is ready?"

"Sure." I walked around spreading the news to the others, but I had trouble finding Steve. I walked outside and looked around. Finally, I found him sitting in the barn, drawing in his sketchbook. "Hey, Steve."

"Hey…" He muttered.

I sat down next to him. "You okay?"

"Not really, but I will be," he replied. "How's the search going?" I shrugged.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore, Steve." He turned to me with a confused look on his face. "Every lead we've followed keeps leading us nowhere. I can't take it anymore."

"Does Sam know?"

I nodded. "We talked and decided that this is my last lead. After that, I'll stay here, take a break. At least till the baby's born."

He set his book on the ground and leaned back, crossing his arms. "I understand that." Steve noticed my eyes darting back and forth across the room. "What?"

"He doesn't want to be found."

"What makes you say that?"

I debated whether I should tell him the truth. But, finally, I confessed, "He told me."

He turned to me wide-eyed. "When? Where?"

"Right after D.C.," I replied. "I went to see that exhibit again and saw him there."

His face saddened and he shook his head. "Doesn't he know we can help him?"

"He wants to do this by himself." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. "He wants to find the man he once was. There's only so much we can tell him. It's one thing to tell him and one thing for him to remember, Steve. We just have to give him time."

"I don't know if I can do that, Ange." He sighed, standing up and walking away.

I looked down to see the picture he was drawing: Me, him, my Dad, and another woman. We were happy, like a normal family.

~:~

After my conversation with Steve, I went back in the house to help with lunch.

"You okay, sis?"

I slowly broke out my trace. "Yeah, Clint. I'm fine." He frowned in reply. "I'm fine, really."

"What happened out there," He asked.

"Nothing," I squeaked. When he frowned again, I let out a sigh of defeat. "I told him what he needed to hear. He didn't like it."

"What's that?"

I stopped cutting the vegetables and set the knife on the counter. "To let my dad come home on his own. That he would come back when he's ready. But Steve can't accept that. He wants to fix everything, but he can't."

"Give him some time, sweetie," Laura said. "He'll come around." I slowly agreed and went back to my work.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Clint answered.

"Hello?...Uh huh….Uh huh… Okay, I'll let em know."

"What was that about?" Both me and Laura gave him a worried look.

"Angie, go with Tony to the barn. Tell him the tractor won't start or something," Clint said.

I quirked a brow in response. "Why?"

"You'll see…"

I shrugged and went outside to get Tony and quickly realized i walked into a very heated argument.

"Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the 'why' we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?"

Steve answered him, "Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time."

"Um, guys," I called out. "Sorry to interrupt whatever the heck this is...which we will deal with later. BUT, Clint said, if you don't mind, Tony, the tractor isn't starting. Can you take a look at it?"

"Yeah, I'll give her a kick." He pointed at Steve. "Don't take from my pile."

As we walked to the barn, I looked at him extremely annoyed. "Do I need to know what the heck that was back there?"

"Don't worry about it. Spangles just doesn't understand."

"What did the chicken do to you?"

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing." I pulled open the barn doors and motioned towards the hunk of junk. "Here she is."

"Hello, Deere. Tell me everything. What ails you?" He said rubbing his hands together.

Suddenly, Fury appears from the other end of the barn. "Do me a favor. Try not to bring it to life." _Of course!_

"Ah, Barton, you little minx," he muttered. He called out, "I get it, Maria Hill called you, right? Was she ever not working for you?"

Fury made his way towards us. "Artificial intelligence. You never even hesitated."

"Look, it's been a really long day," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "Like, Eugene O'Neill long, so how's about we skip to the part where you're useful?"

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to shut him down."

Tony shook his head. "You're not the director of me."

"Tony," I warned. "Don't."

"I'm not the director of anybody." Fury turned and sat down on a bale of hay. "I'm just an old man, who cares very much about you."

"And I'm the man who killed the Avengers," Tony replied.

"What?" I asked, as me and Fury gave him worried looks.

"I saw it. I didn't tell the team, how could I?" he murmured, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it. The whole world, too. It's because of me. I wasn't ready. I didn't do all I could."

"The Maximoff girl, she's working you, Stark. Playing on your fear."

I nodded in agreement. "He's right. She did the same with everyone else."

"I wasn't tricked, I was shown. It wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on."

"You've come up with some pretty impressive inventions, Tony." Fury said. "War isn't one of them."

"I watched my friends die. You'd think that'd be as bad as it gets, right?" he scoffed. "Nope. Wasn't the worst part."

"The worst part is that you didn't." And by the way Tony looked at Fury, you knew that he had hit the nail right on the head.

"Tony...first it was the Legion and now this." I began. "I know why you did this, but this is one thing Steve has got right."

"And what's that?" he snapped.

I shook my head in disbelief. "I thought after our last conversation that you'd learn. But I guess I was wrong." I stormed towards the door of the barn. "You're a grown-freakin'-adult. Figure it out yourself!"

~:~


	12. Chapter 11

_**Now, I know what y'all are going to say. "Three chapters in one weekend!" I know. I got to work on this story a lot this week. I wasn't planning on doing AoU, but I decided to use it to help later on in the story.**_

 ** _Enjoy!_**

~:~

After I stormed in the house, I ran up to my room and quickly grabbed my things. I ran back down the stairs and Clint blocked my exit.

"Clint, move!"

"I can't do that," he said, calmly. When I tried to walk around him, he grabbed my shoulders and took my stuff from me, throwing it on the couch.

"Clint, let me go!"

"Not gonna happen." I began beating on his chest, struggling to get away. After a while, I stopped and broke down, sobbing into his shirt. "Shh...I got you."

Laura came from the kitchen. "Clint, what's going- Oh." Clint jerked his head for her to go and I heard her footsteps fade off.

He rubbed circles into my back as my sobs faded away. Once I stopped, he squeezed me tight.

"You okay?" I shook my head in reply. "Tony?" I nodded. "I'll deal with it later."

"Don't bother. Tony's just being an ass."

He chuckled. "Sounds about right." Once he let go of me, looked straight into my eyes. "Do I need to tie you up?"

I shook my head. "I would've come back when I cooled off." He quirked a brow in reply. "Really, I would have." When he glared at me, I sighed in defeat. "Maybe not."

"That's what I thought." He leaned down and grabbed my stuff. "I'm gonna go put this back." I nodded my head. "Oh, and Tasha's looking for you. She's outside with the kids."

" 'Kay." I walked back outside to the chicken pen. H _opefully, this won't be the third Avenger to tick off today. I think that's a new record._ I walked up and saw LIla chasing the hens back into the coop.

"Come on, Spangles. Get up in there!"

I laughed. _Some things never change…_ Once the last chicken was locked up, I called out to Nat.

SHe looked up and smiled. "Cooper, Lila, why don't y'all go on inside? See if your mama needs any help." The two nodded their heads and took off towards the house.

"Clint said you were looking for me."

"Yeah," she said dusting her hands on her thighs. "How's everything going with you?"

"You got to be more specific, Nat."

"Let's state the obvious: What's with you and Steve? How about you and Tony?"

"Both won't accept the truth," I replied. "And let's leave it at that."

"How's the search?" I shrugged in reply.

"It's the continuing chase of white rabbits. Is that why you told him not to pull on that thread?"

She shook her head. "Not necessarily…"

"You knew him,didn't you?"

"Yes, i did," she whispered.

"You fell in love with him. That's why..." The corner of my mouth quirked up.

"What?"

"I just thought of something," I replied. "You could have been my step-mom." She rolled her eyes in reply.

"Could still happen."

 _Wait. What?_

~:~

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked as he leaned against the wall.

"He's easy to track, he's everywhere." Fury replied. "Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."

Tony threw a dart at the target on the wall. "He still going after launch codes?"

"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway."

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony remarked.

I raised my hand. "Me too."

"Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that."

"NEXUS?" Steve asked.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo," Banner replied. "Every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth."

"So what'd they say?" Clint asked.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed."

Tony turned from the board to Fury. "By whom?" Clint threw a dart and hit the bullseye, nearly missing Tony's face. Clint gave him a cocky grin and shrugged.

I smacked him on the back of the head, muttering, "Showoff…"

"Parties unknown," Fury said, impressed with Clint's shot.

Natasha asked,"Do we have an ally?"

"Ultron's got an enemy," Fury said shaking his head. "That's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."

Tony leaned through the window."I might need to visit Oslo, find our 'unknown.'"

"Well, this is good times, boss," Tasha drawled. "But I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that.

"I do, I have you. " he replied. "Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere. Ears, everywhere else.  
You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave." He pulled a chair back and sat down. "So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard." I clicked my tongue.

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk.," Tasha added.

Steve glared. "You know what, you two?" We smiled mischievously at him.

"So what does he want?" Fury asked.

"To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies," Tony added. "The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed," Tasha pointed out.

" 'They don't need to be protected, they need to evolve.' " Banner recited.

My eyes widened. "Ultron's going to evolve."

Fury looked at the both of us. "How?"

Banner looked up. "Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"

~:~

"I'm gonna finish re-flooring that sunroom as soon as I get back."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and then you'll find another part of the house to tear apart."

Clint shook his head. "No. It's the last project. I promise." They kissed and he walked down the hall to leave.

"Last project, huh?" I called out.

"Yeah, it's time I retired."

"Good. You need it."

Laura and me walked to watch them fly off. I saw the worried expression on her face.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." I said placing my hand on her shoulder.

"Then, why do I feel like it isn't?" She asked and walked into the house.

My phone rang. "Hello?"

" _You okay?"_

I plopped on the porch swing. "I...I-I don't know."

" _Do you need me to come get you?"_

"No. I just-," I sighed. "I just need to hear your voice."

" _What happened?"_

"Tony's being an ass, and Steve's being….Steve. I can't do this anymore, Sam." I choked. "I know what will happen. They're going to tear this team apart. All because they are afraid."

" _Maybe you'll be the one to change that."_

I shook my head. "Not if they get their heads out of their butts and listen."

" _Then make them. Before it's too late."_

"That's the thing, Sam. I think it already is."

There was a small pause between us before Sam broke my trance.

" _Hey. You still there?"_ Sam asked.

"Yeah, um. I'll be by in the morning to get you."

" _Sounds good."_

"I love you."

" _Love you, too, angel."_

~:~


	13. Chapter 12

~:~

"What is this place?"

After shutting the car door, I walked around the car and took him by the hand.

"You'll see." We walked up the steps and I slowly opened the door. "Laura?"

"In the kitchen," she shouted. I led him around strewn toys and towards her. As we walked through the doorway, she looked up and smiled. "You must be Sam. I've heard a lot about you." They shook hands. "I'm Laura. Barton. Clint's….wife."

I squeezed his hand. "That's why I couldn't tell you outright."

"No one knew?" he asked, curiously.

Laura shook her head. "Not till recently. Nick Fury helped Clint set this place up when he joined SHIELD. Of the grid and of the books."

"To keep y'all safe," he added. She nodded in reply.

"Why don't you get settled? The kids will be up soon."

"Kids?" His eyes widened. "Wow, this is off the grid."

I laughed as I pulled him along. "Come on."

We tiptoed up the stairs and down the hall till we got to the guest room.

"Here you go," I whispered. "Should be better than the hotel."

"Much better than the hotel." He said throwing his bag on the bed. He took my hands and pulled me to him, wrapping me in a hug. "I know you haven't been sleeping."

"I'm fine. I'm just stressed."

"Ange…" he warned. "Don't lie to me, please." He caressed my cheek.

"I can't stop seeing it Sam." Tears trickled down my cheeks. "My family being ripped apart piece by piece. By each other and by…. something else."

"It could be a warning."

"Or it could be the truth." I let go of him and walked to the window. "The lines have been so blurred and I can't tell the difference anymore."

"Have you told the Xavier?" I shook my head. "Why not?"

"He'll tell me the same thing he always tells me, which is basically what you tell me."

"I guess we're like-minded."

I rolled my eyes. "Stubborn is more like it." He slowly started walking towards me.

"Stubborn, huh?" He lunged at me and started tickling me.

"Sam, stop! You wake the kids!" I said through my laughter.

"Fine…."he replied, kissing me softly. "You think they'll like me?"

"If they like Tasha, I think they'll like you."

~:~

Cooper and Lila took longer to get up than we expected.

"Man...what were they up to last night?"

Laura shrugged. "Probably too excited about our guests to sleep."

"They're gonna be bummed out when they find out they left."

Laura glanced at Sam. "I think they'll be fine."

And like clockwork, two pairs of footsteps ran down the stairs.

"Where'd they go?" Lila asked. Cooper muttered in agreement.

"Sweethearts, they had to go." Laura replied. "But your Dad will be back as soon as you know it."

Cooper looked over and saw Sam. "Hi, I'm Cooper. Who are you?"

"My name's Sam. And who might you be little lady?"

Lila hid behind Cooper and shyly answered, "Lila….How'd you know Auntie G?"

"Sam's a friend of mine." I looked to him, silently asking if we could tell them, and he nodded. "He's going to be your new Uncle."

Their faces lit up. "Really?"

"Uh huh. We're not married yet, but we will soon okay."

Lila ran up to me and sat in my lap. She leaned in and whispered, "Can I be your flower girl?"

"There isn't anyone else I would ask for." I let her down off my lap. "Now, eat up you two. You got chores to do."

"Can we take Sam with us?" Cooper asked.

Laura nodded in reply. "If he wants to, you can." Both children pleading looked to Sam.

"Sure, why not?" They silently cheered and quickly ate their food. Once they finished, they rushed up the stairs.

I turned to Sam and smiled. "See, told you they'd like you."

~:~

 _ **LATER THAT DAY**_

While Laura was inside taking a nap, me and Sam went outside to give her some peace and quiet. Cooper came up the stairs and sat in the rocking chair.

"What's up, Coop?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing."

I whispered to Sam if he could give us a minute and he got up to find Lila.

"Cooper…." I turned his face to look at me. "What's wrong?"

"Is it bad to want him here? To hate it when he leaves?"

I shook my head and wrapped him in a hug. "No, buddy. It isn't."

"Why aren't you sad when they leave?"

"I am sad, but I have hope that they'll come back." I replied. "When I was younger, I lost my mom and all I had was Tony. Anytime he left to go somewhere, I always made him promise to come back, no matter where."

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere. Even the store. One day, I got a call from someone and they told me he was missing. I was angry and upset, and I drove all the way to Florida from New York to make sure he came home."

"What happened when he came home?" he asked.

"I had never been so happy in my entire life to see him. When I saw him walk out of that plane, I ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug ever. Then, I slapped him."

Cooper laughed. "Why?"

"Cause he scared me to death. I almost lost him."

"Is that why Aunt Nat hits my Dad when he does something stupid?" I nodded in reply.

"Answer me this: has your Dad never come home?" He shook his head 'no'. "You want to know why? Because he promised your mom that he'd do anything in his power to never ever leave you. That he'd always come back."

He gave me a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, buddy." He got up and ran back towards Lila. I stood up and followed him. When I caught up, Sam saw me and walked over to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"He okay?"

"Yeah, he just misses his dad. I know the feeling." He kissed the top of my head in reply.

"How do they do this? Balance family and his work?"

"One day at a time. She knew what she was getting into when she met him."

He tugged at the tags around my neck. "Could we do this?"

"I choose to believe we can. We'll get through it one day at a time."

~:~

 _ **THE NEXT DAY**_

As I helped Laura clean up the table, I felt a strong wave of uneasiness. _Something's not right…._ _Clint, no…._ Suddenly, my legs gave out. Sam noticed and quickly caught me.

"Take it easy, Ange. Sit down."

"Something happened. I can feel it." My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. "God, my back is burning."

Laura walked around the table and lifted the back of my shirt. "Dear God...what did you do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"There are five huge marks on your back."

"Gunshots," Sam added.

Laura walked over to the counter and grabbed the phone. "I'm calling Hill."

"No," I exclaimed. "Call Fury."

"Why?"

"He knows about her….you know...," Sam replied. She nodded her head and walked out of the room, dialing the number.

Sam rubbed circles on my back. "You okay?"

"I wasn't even trying that hard and it winded me."

"What?"

"I saw what happened. I don't know who died. If Clint-"

Laura walked into the room. "He wants to talk to you."

"Hello?"

" _First of all: stop trying to link up with us over here. You're going to wear yourself out."_

"Sorry, I just needed to know they were okay. What happened?"

" _Barnes, it was the Maximoff boy. He saved Clint and another civilian."_

"Then, why did I feel it?"

" _The girl felt him die and she broke down. Her blast killed over a dozen bots."_

"Is it over?"

" _Yes, they'll heading back now."_

"Do me a favor: Keep the boy under lockdown till I get there."

" _What are you planning to do?"_

"I'll explain later." _**Click.**_

"I guess our trip is going to be short then." Sam implied.

I shrugged. "Depends on how fast Clint gets here."

"What are planning on doing?"

"If my assumptions are correct, that boy should have healed. He could still be alive," I replied.

"You're going to bring him to the School aren't you?"

"It's the only chance we got."

~:~

 _ **A FEW WEEKS LATER**_

"Angie!"

I ran into the kitchen. "Laura, what's wrong?"

"It's time."

"I'll grab the stuff." I ran up the stairs. "Sam! Get the kids. We need to go!"

His head popped around the corner. "The baby?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, the baby."

~:~

"Clinton Francis Barton, if you don't get your freakin ass down here, I will strangle you myself….Oh, you better believe it buddy….Uh huh, thank Tasha for me….Bye." I hung up the phone and threw it in my bag.

"He coming?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he's on his way."

"How long will that take?"

"Fifteen minutes if they put the Quinjet in high gear."

The doctor came out of the room and walked over to us. "You the family of Laura Coulson?"

"She's my sister-in-law, yes. How is she?"

"The contractions are still pretty far apart. We'll check her in a bit. Is the father here?"

"No, her husband is on his way right now. He got caught up at work."

"Alright, we'll keep you updated on her condition as it progresses." I thanked him and shook his hand.

"Wait….Coulson?" Sam asked. "Why do I know that name?"

"Phil Coulson was one of the few people that knew about my…." I dropped my volume lower. "Gifts. He died during the Invasion."

"I guess this is a story for Clint to tell me."

"It's funnier when he tells it."

"I believe it." I heard running down the hall and I turned around.

"Where is she?" Clint worried.

"That was fast. What'd ya do, put it in hyperdrive?"

"Something like that. She had the baby yet?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. Let me go tell the doctor you're here."

Three hours of labor later, Nathaniel Pietro Barton was born.

"He's so handsome, Laura. Hate to say it, but he's another Clint."

She smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

~:~

 _ **Hey, guys. You're probably going to see this again in a later chapter, but I decided to give y'all a heads up now.**_

 ** _Over the last few days, I've re-read the Proxima series and saw some errors. Even though i love where this story is going, I feel I didn't edit it very well. When I'm finished, I plan on rewriting it and putting under one story. I thought it would last three stories, but I see it didn't._**

 ** _If there is anything y'all would like to explore in Angie's story, review or PM me some ideas for a one-shot series I can do while I'm rewriting._**

 ** _I hope you guys understand. Thanks._**


	14. Chapter 13

~:~

A week after Nathaniel was born, we headed to the New Avengers facility. When we arrived, Fury greeted us.

"It's about time you showed up."

"Sorry. But, we don't have the Millenium Falcon like y'all do." I replied rolling my eyes.

Sam nudged me, whispering, "I'm gonna go put our stuff up." I gave him a smile and he walked off.

"Where is he?"

"Downstairs. Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Fury, just trust me." He nods and leads me to the boy's body. I put my hand to his hand and found a small blip of activity.

I smiled. "He's alive."

"How? His heart stopped."

"His heart isn't registering on the monitors, but his brain is still active." I replied. " I know someone who can help. Let me take him with me."

"That's not my call, Angie."

"Friday. Can you send Wanda down for me, please?"

" _ **Of course, Ms. Angie."**_

"Why is it that Stark's AIs alway call you by your first name and not everyone else?"

I shrugged. "Twenty long years of asking them to, which failed, and reprogramming."

Wanda came down the stairs. "What's going on?

"I don't know if you know who I am, but I may be able to help your brother."

She gave me a look. "He's dead. How can you help him?"

"Place your hand on his head and look." She placed her hand on his head. Her eyes widen in shock, finding what I found.

"How…"

"I don't know. That's what I want to find out." I replied. "But I need your permission to bring him with me somewhere." Worry crossed her face. "I know we don't know each other well. But I can promise you that no harm will come to him. I only want to try to bring him back."

She nodded in reply. "I trust you. You'll try all you can?"

"I promise. Just remember," I warned, "if he does come back, he might not be the same person you knew. I might have to-."

"I know," she said with her thick accent. "I see in your head. Promise me that if you have to keep him from me, that it is for a good reason."

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I promise, and I never go back on them."

~:~

 _ **XAVIER'S MANSION**_

"What happened?" Hank asked as I helped him and Logan push Pietro to the Med bay.

"He got shot covering another person. His heart isn't registering on the monitors but there is some brain activity."

"What do we do?" Logan grunted.

"The bullets are one of the things keeping him alive right now." I replied as we settled the gurney into place. "Get them out and, hopefully, it'll kickstart his healing factor."

Hank went over and grabbed his supplies. "Hopefully, it'll work."

"You and me both."

~:~

 _ **A FEW HOURS LATER**_

"It worked," Hank exclaimed. "What do we tell his sister?"

"Wait till he wakes up, then we'll decide."

"That is not a good idea, my dear."

"What if he dies right after we tell her he's okay?" I retorted. "I can't do that to her. She's been through enough."

~:~

 _ **You like the little twist there? I have always hated what the did with Quicksilver in AoU, but I have an understanding of why they did it.**_

 _ **So, with that said, the last part for this story will cover Civil War. ****WARNING: THERE WILL BE TIME JUMPS******_

 _ **The events after Age of Ultron will have a huge effect on the future, which you will see soon.**_

 _ **Now, I'm not sure if I will cover Infinity War. I know what happens in the movie but I have not seen it in its entirety yet. I have an idea of what could happen, but it would not cover a whole story.**_

 _ **If you want to see more of Angie's adventures after Civil War, PM or review what you want to see.**_

 _ **Sorry for my scatterbrained rambling.**_

 _ **See you next time!**_

 _ **-Sera**_


	15. Chapter 14

~:~

"Okay, who can tell me what we read last night?"

John raised his hand, "It'll get you killed if you fight over a girl." The class laughed.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Not exactly, Mr. Allerdyce. Cleopatra…." I felt a surge of uneasiness. _Pietro._ "Um, class give me one moment please. Please open your books and read over your assignment from last night. Maybe you'll find a better answer than Mr. Allerdyce." I rush out of the room to see Logan run towards my classroom.

"I guess you felt it?"

"You think?" I gestured towards the room.

"I got it. What's the lesson?"

"As John put it: Don't fight over a girl if you want to live." I smiled as I ran to the Med Bay.

When I got there, Pietro was struggling against Hank, cursing him in Sokovian. I reached out to calm him, but his mind was too clouded.

"Pietro, you need to calm down or we can't help you," I called out as I ran over to them.

"I won't let you experiment on me!"

 _Of course…._ "Pietro, we're not going to experiment on you."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know your sister Wanda. She let me bring you here after you got shot," I replied.

He looked around the room. "Where is she?"

"With the Avengers at their base."

His eyes narrowed. "Isn't that where we are?" I shook my head. "Then, let me go see her."

"You can't do that, dude."

"Why not?" he asked.

"You've been in a coma for a year."

~:~

"I'm supposed to be dead?"

"In a way, yes. But lucky for you, I was able to find some life in you," I replied.

"If we're not with the Avengers, where are we?"

"You're at the school I work at. We specialize in people like you and me."

"I do not understand what you mean."

" _Did you really think you and your sister were the only ones?"_

He almost jumped out of his pants. "You're….how did you…."

"I'm like you. We're mutants, well, a type of mutants."

"Mutant?" he wondered.

I nodded my head and began to explain. "Mutants are….Hank?"

Hank laughed. "Allow me, my dear. Mutants possess a genetic trait called an X-gene. This gene allows them to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities."

"Is that what me and my sister are?" Pietro asked.

"Not necessarily.. You three are mutates. Your powers come from another outside force."

"Yours came from Loki's scepter and the Stone inside it," I added.

"What about yours?"

"My powers are different. They showed up like a mutant's would, but I was not born with the gene. My powers were given to me while my mother was pregnant with me. But that's a story for another day."

He nodded in reply. "This is…."

"Alot to take in?"

"Yeah," he said. "When can I see my sister?"

I sighed. "Until we know that you and your powers are okay, you'll have to stay here."

"Can I at least talk to her?"

"Pietro," I said, "She thinks your dead."

He scrunched up his face. "You told me she-."

"She knows you here, but she….she thinks your dead." I admitted. He gave me a sad look. "After six months, she told me she wanted to move on. She didn't want anymore updates on your condition."

"Then let me talk to her, she'll change her mind." He replied. "She's my sister. Why would she…." He bowed his head and covered his eyes with his hands.

"I don't know why she did what she did." I sighed. "You're not the only one she gave up on. She gave up on me too."

"What do I do now?"

I place an arm over his shoulders. "You can stay here and learn about you and your powers." A smile crept onto my face. "Maybe….you can join this team."

"What team?"

"Oh, Pietro. We have much to talk about."

~:~

 _ **Sorry for that the last two chapters were short, but soon the Civil War is about to begin.**_


	16. Chapter 15

~:~

 _ **A FEW WEEKS LATER**_

 _Come on pick up….Pick up!_

" _I'm guessing you saw the news?"_

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "What do you think, Sam?"

" _Sometimes I think you're a better shot than Clint."_

"How is she?"

" _Shaken up. She blames herself."_ He sighed, _"What do we do?"_

"I can't bring her here, if that's what you're implying," I replied. "They'd be all over us in a heartbeat."

" _I know, I know. I'm guessing you're coming down?"_

"I'm taking your advice and I'm going to try to stop this mess before it gets any worse than it already is."

" _I agree with the old you: I think it's too late."_

I hung my head. "I know it is, but I need to try."

~:~

"The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but," Secretary Ross explained, " while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some… who would prefer the word 'vigilantes'."

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?," Natasha asked.

"How about 'dangerous'?" he retorted. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

I scoffed, "That's a bit hypocritical coming from you, General Ross. I know what happened between you and Doctor Banner.

He ignored me and activated a screen behind him, playing news footage from New York, D.C., Sokovia, and Lagos. I felt Sam's emotions build up and I placed my hand on his leg, reassuringly. I look over and saw Wanda's reaction to Lagos. _That good for nothing…_ Steve noticed as well and intervened.

"Okay. That's enough."

Ross nodded to his aide and the images disappeared.

"As you were saying, Ms. Jarvis?"

"That council sent a nuke towards New York. That nuke would have killed more people than you could imagine, and you're worried about this group of people!"

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution."

Ross motioned for the aide and she handed him a thick book. He slid it to Wanda, who handed it to Rhodey. I immediately grabbed it from him and started reading.

"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries…" he began. "It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that," Steve said.

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?"

"I think you just mean Banner…" I muttered.

Ross glared at me. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

"So, there are contingencies," Rhodey said.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." Steve glanced at Tony. "Talk it over."

" And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha countered.

"Then you retire."

~:~

After I finished reading the Accords, I threw it down.

"Okay, it's final. No one's signing till we find a better solution ."

"This is the solution, Angie." Tony replied. "I can't think of any other way. "

"What do you suggest?" Rhodey asked me. Before I could speak, Vision interrupted us.

"I have an equation."

"Oh, this will clear it up." Sam retorted, earning a smack in the arm from me.

"As you were saying, Vision."

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

Steve frowned, "Are you saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom," Rhodey added.

"No, no 'BOOM'," I said shaking my head, "What Vision said may be true, but answer me this: where in history has something like this gone well? Huh?" No one was able to find an answer. "Exactly, NEVER."

Tasha looked over at Tony, "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve answered.

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony got up and winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." He walked to the kitchen and grabbed his mug. "That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort." He slammed his cup on the counter. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He put his phone in a basket and it projected an image of a smiling kid. He pretends to not notice it and looks back up.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." I look around and see everyone's faces, full of guilt and regret.

Tony continued on,"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." He downed a pill with some coffee and turned to face us."

"That wasn't your fault, Tony." I said.

"To heck it is!" he exclaimed. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundaryless, we're no better than the bad guys."

Steve looked up. "Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."

"Who said we're giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames."

"I'm sorry. Steve. That - that is dangerously arrogant," Rhodey objected. "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Steve shook his head in reply.

"For the first time in my life, I want all of y'all to shut up and listen," I exclaimed. "Yes, you've made some mistakes before. And you've learned from them... No one is signing because I will not let you be their little puppets. This will not end well. It-." A wave of nausea hit me. "Excuse me please." I walked off, hearing the argument continued. I rushed into the bathroom and vomited up my last meal. _Uhhh..._

Wanda walked in. "Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know. I think the General Tso's from last night did not agree with my stomach." I replied, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Okay, I think I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I can go get…" She gestures towards the common room.

"I'm fine, really."

"Alright, could you keep me company? This ordeal is very nerve wracking."

I nodded my head. "For you and me both."

~:~

We sat in her room, watching Tv, without saying a word to each other. Finally, I broke the silence.

"I'm sorry."

She gave me a confused look. "For what?"

"Your brother. I'm sorry I let you down." She sat up, shaking her head.

"I know that you tried. And that is all I could ask for." She squeezed my arm reassuringly. I sighed and looked out the window. "What is it?"

"There's something I wished I did a long time ago."

She tilted her head. "What is that?"

"I-" There was a knock at the door. When it opened, Sam walked through.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" We shook our heads.

"Not really."

"Wanda, can I borrow her for a bit?" Sam asked. "I promise I'll bring her back."

She smiled. "Of course."

I hopped off the bed and followed him out the door. We walked into his room and he called out, "FRIDAY, privacy mode, please."

"And execute Order 626," I added.

" _ **Of course. Privacy mode activated and Order 626 executed."**_

I gave him a smile. "Now, where were we?" We leaned in an pecked each other on the lips.

"I'm sorry about all that." He said pulling me into a hug.

"Let's not talk about that right now."I buried my face in his chest. "I should have got her out of here when I got Pietro. Gah! What did I do?"

"We knew if we did that, they would have been all over you and the school."

"I know. I just wished I had tried."

He pulled away to look me in the eyes. "Is that what's bothering you?" I shook my head.

"Not completely. I-"

" _ **Mr. Wilson, Captain Rogers is requesting your presence in the common room."**_

He huffed. "Can it wait?"

" _ **He said it was urgent, sir."**_

"Go, Sam. I'm not going anywhere." Hesitantly, he nodded and pressed a kiss on my forehead.

"Don't go to far."

I smiled. "I won't."

~:~

While Sam was talking to Steve, I walked outside to sit by the fountain.

"You going to Vienna?" a voice called out.

I turned around and smiled, earning a 'hey' from Rhodey. "Not sure yet."

"I understand that," he said as he came to sit next to me. "Sorry about that in there."

"I've only heard that once today and I'm tired of hearing it."

"Sam?" I nodded in reply. Another wave of nausea hit me and quickly faded away.

Rhodey noticed and gave me a concerned look. "You doing okay? You didn't look to good again."

"Wow, Uncle Rhodey. Way to make a girl feel great." I said, glaring at him. "Last night's dinner didn't agree with this morning's breakfast." He nodded, looking off in the distance. "What?"

"Why are you against the Accords?"

"I'm not _entirely_ against them," I drawled.

"Then, why did you tell us not to sign them?"

I let out a deep breath. "As an idea it's great, but in hindsight, it's not. I don't trust the people behind it. People like Ross are-."

"Not this again...You better not-"

"This is not another grudge like I had with Stane." I corrected. "Years ago, General Ross approached my friend about using gamma radiation to recreate the super-serum. He declined and, so, Ross went to Banner. You know the rest. Banner turned into the Hulk, and Ross wanted to weaponize him."

His forehead furrowed. "And your point is?"

"If the Hulk got in the wrong hands, think of the destruction." He studied my face, then nodded. "Think of what could happen with the team."

"That's not the same," he interjected.

"Oh, really?" I replied. "It's not like one day they would, i don't know, turn on y'all and make superheroes illegal altogether. Or better yet, murder all of you." I looked away, trying to hide my tears. "Since New York, I've seen things and learned things that I wish I hadn't. And that scares me."

"That's why we need the Accords, Angie. It'lll-"

"I'm not scared of what you could do without the Accords, Rhodey." I let out a shaky breath. "I'm scared of what y'all could do with them."

He slowly nodded. "I get what you're saying, but if you could understand-" I interrupted his sentence, scoffing.

"You know what? I'm done talking about this," I said, storming back towards the compound. "See you when you're all in jail or dead!" I heard him call out after me, but I kept on walking. I walked past Sam and he grabbed me.

"Whoa...what happened with you?"

I shook my head. "Doesn't matter anymore. I'm grabbing my stuff and leaving."

"Why-" he was cut off by Rhodey walking in. "I'm guessing you tried to get her on your side?"

"Trying to tell her it was the right thing," he replied.

"Maybe to you," I muttered. "Well, as I said, doesn't matter now. I'm leaving." I pulled myself from Sam's grasp and turned towards my room. "Call a meeting. I have one last thing to say to everyone."

~:~

"So, it seems like everyone has made up their minds," I began. "I know that the two of you," I point at Steve and Tony, "are going to head this gang war." Tony furrows his brow, mouthing 'gang war'. "Don't start, Tony." I throw two files on the table. "I've surrendered all my assets to their respective owners. There's y'alls and I've already wired my SI assets to Pepper."

"Hold on a sec, Angie," Tony said. "Let's talk about this."

"I'm done talking about it. I understand that the two of you can't get past your arrogance to actually work something out."

"Trust me, this'll fix things."

Steve shook his head. "No, it won't."

"Shut it, both of you." I snapped. "Both of you are wrong. There is a fine line between you right now and that's where the answer lies." I looked to the two and saw that their expressions never changed. "You guys are my family, the only one I've ever known. I'd rather die than watch this go down." I picked up my bags and turned towards the door. I looked over my shoulder. "If anyone gets hurt or gets killed, either in this team or anyone dragged in, it'll will be on the two of you. And I will never let you forget it."

~:~


	17. Chapter 16

_**THE NEXT DAY-XAVIER'S SCHOOL**_

"Keep up!"

Pietro sped past me as we fought a Sentinel.

"Kind of hard to when you got a robot on your tail!" I called back. I saw one of them blindside him. "Look out!" The bot slammed him against the ground.

" **SIMULATION COMPLETE"**

I walked over and stood over him. "You got cocky. That's going to kill you." I held out my hand, helping him up. "Come on. You're doing good, just remember what I said. You'll need it soon. "

"You see something?"

"I've seen things since I was fifteen, dude. But I have. It's the Accords. There's gonna be war, the two of us might be the only ones to stop it," I replied.

He raised a brow. "What can we do? Technically, I'm dead and you disowned them."

"We have to try."

~:~

"You get there okay?"

" _Yeah, I wish you were here though."_ Sam sighed.

I shook my head. "You know why I can't. I-" The TV cut me off.

" _ **Officials have released a video of a suspect who they identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent….."**_

"Are you seeing this?"

" _Yeah, I- I gotta go…."_

"Don't let him do anything stupid."

" _I think it's already too late."_ **Click.**

 _Okay, Ange. Keep cool….Everything's gonna be okay….Everything's….not okay….._

Pietro ran into the room. "So…"

"We're not going."

"Why not?" he exclaimed.

"We'll get involved when it gets bad, okay?" He sighed in defeat. "Look, I know you want to see Wanda. But we can't just jump in. I don't want either of us to get swept into this chaos unless we have to."

"Whatever…." He replied, speeding away.

"Pietro, wait!" I yelled, attempting to run after him. I stopped in the hallway.

"Just give him time, Ange. He'll come back."

I turned around. "Logan, I want to stop this mess too. But I can't without someone getting hurt."

~:~

 _ **THE NEXT DAY**_

" _They captured Barnes in Budapest and brought him to Joint Terrorism. Something happened and he escaped."_ Sharon sighed through the phone. _"Steve and Wilson got away too."_

"Of course they did, it's the only way to my dad. What now?"

" _Basically, anyone who didn't sign and are helping Steve are international fugitives."_

 _Way to go, Rogers._ "Alright, thanks for the call, Sharon. Keep me updated."

" _You got it."_ **Click.**

A wave of dizziness hit me. _Oh, no…._

"Pietro!"

Paper flew into the air as he zoomed into the room. "So…."

"Get the bags. We're going to Germany."

~:~

 _ **AIRPORT- GERMANY**_

Pietro sped us to an outlying terminal and I cloaked us against all scanners. I reached out to watch the fight.

" _ **Captain Rogers….I know you believe what you're doing is right."**_ Vision said. _**"But for the collective good….you must surrender now."**_

" _ **What do we do, Cap?"**_ Sam asked.

" _ **We fight."**_

I broke the link. "This isn't gonna end well. We need to go... _Now_." Pietro nodded and picked me up, speeding off closer to the others. Cap's team started to run towards the others.

"They're not stopping." Tony's team started to run too.

"Neither will they. Come on!" He picked me up and spun around, hurling me in between the sides. I let out a telekinetic force field, pushing them away from each other. "ENOUGH!"

Both groups stood there in shock. "Angie…."

I turned towards Tony, eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry, Tony….I warned you." I turned to Steve. "Both of you! And what did you do? This needs to end now."

"You know we have to do this," Steve replied.

"No, Steve. No you don't."

"I'm sorry, Ange. But he's right," Tony said.

"Fine, then." I cupped my hands around my mouth. "ROADRUNNER!" Pietro zoomed over to stand behind me.

"Pietro?" Wanda choked. Pietro gave her a small smile. She turned to me.

I held a hand up, sending her _'I'm sorry'._ "Pietro…" He nodded and picked me up. I looked over to Sam. _"Please don't do this…"_

" _I have to, Angel."_ I shook my head in reply.

"Let's go."

~:~

" **This council will now give the floor to Ms. Anja Jarvis-Barnes."**

I picked up my papers and headed to the podium. "Thank you, sir. Due to recent…" I shook my head and stopped reading from my speech. I opened my mouth and prayed that the right words would come out.

"I could go on and on about how I believe the Accords should be abolished. But that won't change the damage done already. Half my family followed a man who is guilty for past mistakes, while the other half follows someone who believes he's doing what's right."

"Since the Battle of New York, I've watched the slow downfall of Tony Stark. When he went into that portal, carrying the nuke that the Security Council sent, he came back out a changed man. He saw things, that I am glad I did not see. His experience led him to create Ultron, hoping to stop a war before it even started. But he learned his lesson very quickly, which led him to sign the Accords."

"Since the Battle of New York, I've watched the slow downfall of Steve Rogers. After he watched the fall of SHIELD, he came back out a changed man. He watched the very government he trusted come after him, saw his best friend brainwashed, and fought his best friend to save him. And he learned his lesson quickly, which led him to refuse to sign."

"The Avengers chose their sides. Some came out of retirement to save others, some followed blindly. And in the end, both sides failed. The Accords did the exact opposite of what it intended: it didn't build a team, it destroyed it. And I believe that was the intent of the writer. And who was that writer?" I pointed across the room. "Him. General Thaddeus Ross. Not Secretary, but General. Because that is who he is, a general, a war-monger."

"General Ross should be held accountable under the Accords. He headed the operation to recreate the super-soldier serum through gamma radiation. Through association, he helped create the Hulk. And after trying to weaponize the Hulk, he created another creature called the Abomination. When both failed to comply, he attempted to capture them and, in the process, helped destroy most of Harlem."

"I object!" Ross exclaimed. "What does this have to do with anything, Miss Barnes?"

"Mr. Ross, it has everything to do with this." I turned back to the UN. "If you will examine exhibit A, the Raft." Blueprints and files started to pull up on the hologram. "Sources say that prisoners are being tortured daily, left for hours without food or water and no contact with the outside world." I saw the one picture of Sam. "Caged like animals. If other enhanced individuals saw this, why would they sign? Just so this didn't happen to them?"

"Ms. Barnes…." A voice asked. "What do you suggest this Council do?" I turned towards the man, T'Challa.

"Your Highness, I-" I started to cough. "-I'm sorry, could I get a drink of water." Ross poured me a glass and brought it to me. I ironically mutter a 'thank you' and took a sip. "I suggest that.." **cough. sip.** "the Accords…." **cough.** "temporarily pardon…" **cough.** "those who went against the Accords till…." My throat started to constrict. "they can be…" **cough.** "revised." I started to grow weak and I leaned against the podium. I continued to cough, and then I collapsed. T'Challa ran to me and caught me before I hit the floor. Before I passed out, I whispered something to him, and then I blacked out.

~:~

 _ **EARLIER THAT DAY- THE RAFT (NO ONE"S POV)**_

"The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here!" Tony walked down the steps and towards the cells. "He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not."

"Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'd put you here. Come on."

Clint spit on the floor. "Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony."

"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey," Tony replied. "This place is for is a place for..."

"Criminals? Criminals, Tony." Clint stood up and walked over to the glass of his cell. "Think that's the word you're looking for. Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."

"Because you broke the law, I didn't make you, " Tony said, earning a 'la, la, la,' from Clint. "You read it, you broke it. You're all grown up, you got a wife and kids." He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?" He started to walk away.

"You gotta watch your back with this guy, " Clint called out. "There's a chance he's gonna break it."

"Hank Pym always said you never can trust a Stark." Tony turned to the man.

"Who are you?" He continued walking, the man muttering, 'Come on, man.'

"How's Rhodes?" Sam asked as she stood with his back to the door.

"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow..." Tony replied, "So fingers crossed. "

"How's Angie?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her since Leipzig." He gave Sam a look. "And what's with you? It's not like you almost killed her or anything? Why do you care about how she is? "

"I care, Tony, because she's my wife."

~:~

 ** _BOOM!_**

 ** _Enough said. See y'all next time._**


	18. Chapter 17

_**ONE YEAR EARLIER- (ANGIE**_ _ **POV)**_

 _"Could we do this?"_

 _"I choose to believe we can. We'll get through it one day at a time."_

 _"Then, marry me."_

 _"Haven't I already said yes to that. "_

 _"I mean marry me, right now. There's a guy in town who can do it. Off the record, off the books. "_

 _"I don't know, Sam..."_

 _"You want to wait till Clint gets back?" I nodded in reply. " Okay, that's fine. I just want to be married to the love of my life. No matter what. "_

 _"We're getting married..."_

 _"Yeah, we are."_

~:~

 _ **BACK TO THE PRESENT- THE RAFT (NO ONE'S POV)**_

"Angie's gonna kill you for that, Sam," Clint called out.

"Wait, you knew?" Tony exclaimed.

"I was there when they got married. I was the best man. "

"More like the maid of honor," Sam muttered, earning a ' _hey, I heard that_ ' from Clint.

~:~

 _ **ONE YEAR EARLIER- (ANGIE POV)**_

 _"You sure you want to do this?"_

 _"Wow, Clint. You're the worst wedding party ever. Where's the 'wow, you're beautiful' and the 'he's gonna drop dead when he sees you' ?"_

 _He placed his hands on my shoulders. "You look amazing, he's gonna drop dead when he sees you. And, sis, this is a courthouse wedding, don't overthink it."_

 _"Sorry... I've been waiting for this day since forever. " I looked at myself in the mirror. "Why do I feel guilty for not telling anyone about me and him?"_

 _"You learn to live with it. But when you finally tell people, it's a huge relief," he replied. " You'll get your day, and you'll have that huge wedding you've been planning since you were three. "_

 _I turned to him with an eyebrow raised. "Have you been digging in my stuff again?"_

 _"No, you just talk in your sleep. " He held out his arm for me. "Shall we?"_

 _I took his arm and we walked to the justice's office. When we walked in the room, my eyes met Sam's and it seemed like it was just the two of us. The vows went by as quickly as we said our ' I dos ', ending the ceremony with a kiss. When we broke apart, our faces stayed close and we looked deep into each other's eyes."_

 _"I love you, Mr. Wilson."_

" _And I you, Mrs. Wilson._ "

~:~

 _ **BACK TO THE PRESENT**_

"We'll have to talk about this another time, " Tony said shaking his head. "What do you need? They feed you yet?"

Sam scoffed. "You're the good cop, now? All because of her?"

"Not entirely, I'm also the guy who needs to know where Steve went."

"Well, you better go get a bad cop, " Sam replied. "Because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me."

"Well, I just knocked the A out of their AV," he said pressing his watch. "We got about 30 seconds before they realise it's not their equipment. " He looked back up. "And I'm pretty sure Angie would like you in one piece. Just look. Because that..." He pulled up a photo. "...is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes." He closed the image. "Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong."

"That's a first."

"Cap is definitely off the reservation...but he's about to need all the help he can get, " Tony said. "We don't know each other very well. You don't have to..."

"Hey, it's... all right. Look, I'll tell you but you have to go alone and as a friend, " he replied. "Or Angie will come in here and kill me herself."

"Easy."

~:~

 _ **UN PROCEEDINGS- (T'CHALLA'S POV)**_

"Ms. Barnes…." I asked. "What do you suggest this Council do?" She turned towards me.

"Your Highness, I-" She started to cough."-I'm sorry, could I get a drink of water." Ross poured her some and handed it to her. She continued her explanation, but she began to cough erratically. Suddenly I noticed her growing weak and saw her leaned against the podium. She continued to cough, and suddenly collapsed. I ran to her and caught her, laying her head in my lap. She put her hand on my face, and whispered something in my ear, then she went unconscious.

My head shot up. "Get a medic!" I bore my eyes into Secretary Ross. "And someone detain that man!"

The medics arrived quickly. They laid her on the ground and I got up. I took her glass and smelled it.

"Poison." Their eyes widened and they immediately pulled out a serum. "Be careful. She told me... " I whispered to them what she had told me. Their faces pales and they injected her with the needle.

"It should abate the symptoms for now, your Highness" The nurse informed me. "I don't know if she'll make it though. "

"Then let me take her. My doctors may have a cure." They reluctantly agreed , and my guards took her to the transport. Within hours, we arrived in Wakanda. The doctors swarmed her and started hooking her up to IVs.

Shuri ran into the room. "I can handle this, brother. You have an encrypted message coming in." I nodded and ran out of the room, leaving Ms. Barnes in the hands of my sister and the doctors.

~:~


	19. Chapter 18

_**What did Angie tell T'Challa? Enjoy the last chapter, guys.**_

~:~

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

I slowly blinked my eyes open, blinded by a bright light. _Where have I seen this before?_ Once my vision cleared, I panicked and started to struggle against the bed. I felt someone grab my hands and hold me down.

"Angie, it's alright. Calm down."

I turned my face towards the voice. "Sam? How'd you…" He pressed a kiss on my forehead in reply.

"Steve got us out." he replied. "But, I doesn't matter, I'm here now."

"I need to see them. Get me out of here," I demanded as I tried to sit up.

He put a hand to my chest to slow me down. "Let the doctors clear you first."

One of the nurses looked up from her clipboard. "She has been cleared. We have been letting her rest." Sam gave her a questioning look.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I guess they told you."

"They told me what happened at the UN. With you and Ross."

~:~

 _"She collapsed at the UN. Poison." T'Challa told them._

 _Sam looked at him with wide eyes. "Who?"_

 _"Secretary Ross. He knew that she was the key to the Avengers."_

 _"If you hurt her, you hurt all of them," Bucky said._

 _Steve nodded in aggreement. "How is she?"_

 _"Her health is progressing, but the doctors still worry."_

 _"Why's that," Sam asked._

 _"That I do not know."_

~:~

Sam put a hand on my cheek. "I'm so sorry. I should've been there, I…." I put my hand on top of his, shushing him.

"It's okay, I'm okay, Everything. Is. O. K." I threw the covers off and reached for him. "You can carry me if it'll make you feel better." He shook his head and picked me up bridal-style. I snuggled my head into his shoulder, as he started to walk down the hall. "Don't blame yourself for this."

"I can't help but blame myself," he replied. "I'm supposed to protect you. That's my job."

"I know it is, Sam. But it's my job to protect you too." We continued down the hallway, whispering 'I love you's and stealing kisses until we reached the others.

"What's this?" We gave each other a look.

"I'm surprised a certain Tin Man didn't tell you," Sam replied. I coughed, getting his attention, and raised a brow. "I may or may not have told Tony."

"I'll kill you," I growled.

"Don't worry. Clint, the best man he is, already chewed me out for that one."

I snorted, muttering, "More like the maid of honor."

"Wait a second…." my father said. His eyes widened. "Birdbrain is... my son-in-law!"

"Yeah, he is. And there's something else too. For all three of you. Sam…." I looked into his eyes and gave him the biggest smile I could. I opened my mouth and said the words I never thought I'd say:

"Sam, I'm pregnant."

~:~

 _ **AND….THE END.**_

 _ **I hope y'all enjoyed this series. I had a fun time writing it.**_

 _ **Stay tuned for the epilogue. I think y'all will enjoy it.**_

 _ **Bye!**_


	20. EPILOGUE

~:~

 _ **MONTHS LATER**_

I looked out the window of our house, watching the sunrise. A faint noise broke me from my trance. I walked down the hall and noticed the noise stopped. I kept walking towards where I thought the noise came from. Opening the door, I saw the scene and smiled.

Sam was sitting in a chair with a little bundle in his arms, humming a song. I walked up behind him, placing a kiss on his head and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Please don't go," I whimpered, burying my face into his back.

He grabbed my hand, kissing it. "I hate to, but you know I have to." He pulled me around so he could look at me. "I will come back to you. I promise you." He placed a kiss on my forehead and pulled me into his lap.

I looked down at the bundle in his arms. "So little, but so big, too." He hummed in reply. "What did we do to deserve this?"

"Nothing except loving you." He smiled at the thought and kissed my temple. "Perfection…."

I snorted. "Better be. We're too good looking for it not to. Our beautiful girl…." I reached down to caress the bundle.

"Our little Riley…."

~:~

 _ **Thanks again to all who read the series. If you haven't heard, I'm currently rewriting it and will probably put it under one big story. I want to expand on some storylines and on some of her friendships, family relations, and romantic relationships. (Especially since I didn't expand on that bodyguard she dated. Maybe it's like Budapest; she doesn't talk about it too much.)**_

 _ **ANYWAYS…...I will update here when I have most of the revision done.**_

 _ **I am planning on releasing a new story within the next few weeks. It won't be very long, but I hope you will enjoy it.**_

 _ **Again, thanks for reading, and see you next time.**_


	21. AMAZING NEWS!

Hey guys!

I had this idea to write some one-shots on Angie and her hectic life.

So, if y'all have anything you want to see, review or PM me any ideas.

Thanks, and see y'all soon!


	22. Dinner with the Avengers

_**So, when I was originally writing this, I accidentally wrote it for my other series of one-shots, 'What really happened in Budapest.' So if you're a reader for that, sorry!**_

 _ **But I promise this one is going to be different. Kinda, sorta, mostly….**_

~:~

"Tell me again why we have to do this."

I rolled my eyes. "Tony…"

"Fine…." He picked up the pan and brought it out the the table. "Order up!"

"Yes!" Clint yelled, dropping out of the air vent.

" _AAH!"_ I gasped for air. "Clint we talked about this!" I walked over and smacked him on the back of the head.

He smiled and gave me a smile. "Sorry, sis. But I've been hangrily waiting."

"Whatever."

"Trust me, Ange. He has," Tasha said walking into the room. "I had to kick him out of the training room because he was bothering me so much." Steve walked in behind her nodded his head in agreement.

"Come on, let's eat!" Tony exclaimed. "I'm starving here." I rolled my eyes in reply.

 _Men and their stomachs…._

Everyone (mainly Tony, me, Clint, Tasha, and Steve) sat at the table and dug into the meal.

"Banner coming up?" Steve asked.

Tony shook his head. "He's working on something. Said to bring him some down when I went back."

"Heard anything from Thor?"

"No, I-" A loud boom came from the balcony. He turned back to Steve. "I take that back."

"Greetings, comrades!" Thor said. "I have heard Lady Jarvis has made something you mortals call 'Pad Thai'."

Tony looked over to me, muttering, "Did we make enough?"

I chuckled, "Yes, there's enough for an army. I just have to heat it up."

As I began heating up the rest of the food, Thor began telling stories of combat and mischief. Apparently, Loki wasn't as bad as he is now, well mostly.

"And, so I went to pick up the snake to admire it," he continued, "And he transformed back into himself and went _'MUAHH, it's me'_ and he stabbed me." I could feel Loki smiling from all the way in Asgardian jail. "We were eight at the time."

The others faces were covered in shock, minds clouded with cursing.

"Well, that's an….interesting story there, Thor," I said. "It's nice to know he wasn't always that bad."

He smiled in reply. "Why, thank you, Lady Jarvis. I am glad you enjoyed my tales."

"Your welcome." I picked up the pot and brought it to the table. "And here y'all go. Fresh from the pan." They all voiced their thanks and dug in.

Tony leaned over and whispered, " ' _Nice to know he wasn't always that bad'_? Angie, Loki stabbed Thor when they were eight!"

"I couldn't tell him what I really thought. You know how he is."

~:~


	23. Science Fiction

"Okay….I think I understand," I said, slowly nodding my head. "But could you please repeat that again? You lost me at….the very beginning..."

"Angie…" Tony whined. "This is the fifth time I've explained it. And that was in the simplest way."

"I'm a history teacher, not a science teacher, Tony."

"Ugh, fine!" Then he proceeded to explain again with movie and internet examples. "Now do you get it."

"So, you're saying that lightsabers are impossible to build because the light or whatever comes out of it is hard to get."

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "And sadly, yes, my young padawan."

I gave him a look. "Are you sure about that? Because I know someone who may have built one."

"Liar."

"Now, why would I lie to you?" I pulled out my laptop and video-commed my friend.

 _ **"Y-ello!"**_

"Hey, Shuri! How's it going?"

 _ **"Good. And you?"**_

"Good. So, um, I kinda need a favor." I scratched the back of my head. "Can I borrow that um…" I dropped my voice a little. "Lightsaber."

 _ **"Why?"**_

"Uncle Genius believes they're impossible to create."

She grinned widely. _**"Check that package I sent you."**_

"What package?"

Tony held a finger up. "Oh yeah this came in this morning," He said handing me the package. "Knew I was forgetting something."

Once I opened it, I grinned widely. "Shuri, you never fail to disappoint me."

 _ **"You're welcome. See you next time?"**_

"Yeah, talk with you later." She nodded, ending the transmission.

I pulled out the item and placed it in Tony's hand.

He gave me a look. "So? She made a hilt. What special about that?"

"Press the button. And aim that end that way please."

He turned and pressed the button, eyes glowing in excitement. "No, freaking way." He pressed the button again turning it off. He kissed my head. "This is why you're my favorite."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You look more like your mother everyday."

"Knew that."

"Okay," he rubbed the back of his head and paced around until he thought of something. "I know about you and that bodyguard."

My eyes widened. "I promise we didn't do anything."

"Oh, I know," he replied with a smile. "What was his name? Brent? Trent?"

"Grant. Anything else…."

~:~


	24. I think we need to have a talk

_**Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update. Work and school was very hectic last week.**_

 _ **Hope y'all enjoy!**_

 _ **~:~**_

 **Knock. Knock. Knock.** "Angie!"

I pulled off my headphones. "Yeah?"

The door opened and Tony walked in, rubbing his palms together. He looked behind him, and I noticed Pepper motioning him to go in.

"What's up, Tony?"

"Um…." He began, turning back to me. "So, now that you and that Worthington kid are….together, um….I think we need to have a talk."

My eyes widened. "No need."

"Oh, I think you do!" Pepper yelled from the hall.

"I don't need 'the talk'."

"I totally agree," Tony said.

Pepper walked in, "Yes, you do. Even if I have to."

"Pepper," I said, shaking my head. "I think Tony's….exploits are enough of a reason not to have the talk."

Her mouth snapped shut, and she shrugged in agreement. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Trust me, y'all won't have to worry about any of that for a very long time."

Pepper nodded and left the room, leaving the two of us in silence.

"Exploits?"

I snorted. "You aren't always that subtle. I'm surprised you haven't scarred me for life."

"Touche."

~:~


	25. Meeting the family (INNER THOUGHTS)

_**(POST AVENGERS)**_

"So how am I going to explain this…." I said gesturing to my neck.

"Aliens?"

"...Aliens," I shrugged. "Not as crazy as it would have been a year ago. Anyways…." I trailed off, "Clint, where are you taking me?"

"You'll have to wait and see." He smiled as he drove through the hills.

A couple hours later, we drove up to a farmhouse.

"Dude, it's a farm. What's so top secret about it? " the door creaked open and revealed a woman and two kids.

"Them." He led me towards them.

 _Holy crap! Okay, Angie, you can do this….You are going to be fine…. You come from a long line of lunatics….Well, Tony….Plus, you just saw aliens attack Earth…. What's meeting Clint's top-secret family?_

I followed him to the porch.

" Angie, meet Laura. My wife. "

She held out her hand to me. "I've heard a lot about you. Pleasure to finally meet you."

I shook her hand. "Me too. Who are these little guys?" I moved down to the kids' level. "My name's Angie, what's yours? " The boy hid behind his mother's leg, while the little girl ran up and hugged me.

"I Li'a" the girl lisped.

Laura laughed. "This is Cooper. Sorry he's a little shy. But I'm sure he'll warm up to you. He did to Tasha."

"Tasha? Or course she knows."

Clint picked up Lila and threw her in the air. "Come on, sis. Let's show you around."

I watched his little antics with the kids. I saw how his face lit up when he saw them. _No wonder why he keeps this a secret….I wish I had that…._

~:~

 _ **Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this flashback. I wanted to get some of her inner dialogue on it.**_

 _ **On another note, I've been thinking about taking a short break from the one-shots and doing Infinity War and some of the things that happen around then. I thought about expanding it more in the rewrite.**_

 _ **PM or Review if you want to see this now or later in the rewrite.**_

 _ **See you next time guys!**_

~:~


	26. REWRITE NEWS AND SNEAK PEEK

~:~

 _ **Hey, guys. This is going to be the end for Angie right now until the rewrite is released.**_

 _ **Here's a sneak peek for what you're going to see!**_

 _ **~:~**_

" _Thank you for putting up with me when I thought no one else would. Maybe you can put up with me longer than you thought."_ When I opened it, I looked right back up at him. "You….you want me….to adopt you?" He nodded in reply.

"All the papers are ready. You just have to sign them."

"I don't know what to say….I…." I blew out my cheeks, "Where do I sign?"

 **~:~**


	27. Chapter 27

Happy Valentine's Day, guys!

Check out the premiere of A Thousand Times Between!

Hope to see you then.

-Sera.


End file.
